There's More to Life than Quidditch
by fevil-devil
Summary: Oliver Wood finally finds someone who brings a bit of light into his life. Corrine is bubbly and eccentric but has her secrets. She makes him happy but when she shows her other side, he wonders what he can do to make her happy too. OliverWood/OC
1. Thank You

"Oliver Wood, this is your new Chaser," Professor McGonagall insisted. Oliver had been pulled out of his class for the second time in his school career by Professor McGonagall, both times to inform him of changes she had forcefully been making to his Quidditch team. Mind you, the choices were never made poorly, he just felt as if he had less power as time progressed. Standing in front of the professor was a very small girl. She looked no older than thirteen and could have easily passed for eleven. She had a very round face and light brown bob cut which had a single attempt at a pony tail protruding from the back. Her bangs covered a majority of the upper half of her face and only when she had pushed the hair aside could he see her large brown eyes. Her whole face appeared rounder than necessary which added to the fact that she looked like a child. To top it all off, she hadn't changed into her robes yet and was wearing a brightly colored t-shirt with over sized jeans. Oliver looked up at McGonagall skeptically. Was she entirely serious with this decision? "This is Corrine McMichael. She has now officially transferred to Hogwarts as of this year. Having lived in Canada not very long ago, she's never had proper training. You see, there are no Wizarding schools in Canada. Therefore, her education in magic will be very limited. However, she is aware of her capabilities as a witch." Oliver decided to go along with this, trying to see the path McGonagall was aiming for.

"Has she ever ridden a broom?" he asked.

"No, but she's willing to learn." She couldn't have been serious. Oliver was now expected to train a Chaser from scratch? It would have been simpler to hold try outs for a new one at the school. "Now, don't you even start thinking about getting rid of her. Her position on the team is set. Once you begin her training, you will understand exactly why I choose her. She was handpicked for her skills Mr. Wood." Giving in, Oliver asked more general questions. "She's a seventh year here and has already been sorted into Gryffindor. That was merely luck. Of course I did my best to make certain that her personality would make Gryffindor but there was no guaranteeing it." Oliver stopped listening after she said 'seventh year'. This small girl standing in front of him was seventeen. Corrine noticed the expression on Oliver's face and became immediately annoyed. "Well then, I'll leave you two to that. Mr. Wood, you have been excused from the remainder of your History of Magic lesson in order to train your new Chaser." With that, she smiled and walked off. Oliver rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unsure of his next step.

"Well, I suppose we should get down to the Quidditch pitch," he mumbled. Corrine rolled her eyes and led the way. "A bloody seventh year…"

"I can hear you!" she called out from in front of him. Her voice was oddly deep and sounded much older than she looked, also taking notice of the Canadian accent she supported. He blushed, embarrassed by his rude comment and sped up to keep up with her. "Look," she began, never looking in his direction, "I get that you don't want me here. Frankly, I don't care. But I can ask someone else to teach me. I mean, I get the whole idea anyways." He shook his head.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. It's not that I don't want you on the team it's just that, you're just so unqualified to do this. Maybe if I had some sort of idea as to why you're here…" He prompted her to talk about herself. Sighing, she stopped walking and looked up at Oliver.

"I play softball." She said the statement as if it was suppose to be the clearest explanation. In all honesty, he had never heard of the darned thing. "It's a muggle sport where you hit a small ball with a bat and then run around bases." Oliver still failed to see any connection of the game to Quidditch, especially her position as Chaser. "The team who isn't running has to be standing around waiting to catch the ball and throw it at other players to get the runners out. It's a bit complicated to explain to you." She was using all sorts of odd hand gestures and expressions. She clearly loved the strange sport and was very passionate about it; almost as passionate as he was with Quidditch. Nodding slowly, he put the pieces together in his head.

"So that must mean you have great accuracy for throwing."

"I can catch too." She winked at him. Her playful personality was completely contradicting with the harshness he had witnessed only seconds earlier. The whole encounter was getting more and more bizarre.

"It sounds like you already know a lot about Quidditch." It was her turn to blush, though he couldn't figure out why. They had begun to walk again, taking an even pace, matching each other's strides. Of course this meant that Corrine was taking very large steps.

"I only know from watching." Oliver smiled gratefully.

"That's a great start." At least she wasn't totally incompetent about the sport. It gave him something to build off of. He remembered Harry in his first year of Quidditch. He had never even heard of the sport. But admittedly, Oliver had never had a better Seeker. He would have less explaining to do with Corrine.

The pitch was muddied from the morning rain but the sun shone, drying the damp ground. Oliver had already picked up the set of Quidditch balls from the equipment shed and readied them for demonstration. Corrine stood impatiently, surveying the field. He first removed a large burgundy ball roughly the size of her head. He began his explanation without warning.

"Alright so, Quidditch has seven people on a team. A Keeper, that's me, a seeker, two beaters and three chasers. Following me so far?" She nodded. "Alright, so this is a Quaffle, which is the only ball you'll have to be worried about. Well, you're going to want to watch out for the Beaters of course, nasty little buggers they are, but this is all yours."He tossed the red ball at her. She lobbed the ball between her hands, feeling and testing the weight. Oliver opened his hands, motioning for her to throw the ball back to her. Bringing the ball to her chest with both hands, she whipped the ball at him. He was surprised at the velocity of the throw and it almost threw him off balance. "Wow." Corrine smirked, happy that she was able to shock him. "So, let me quickly show you the Bludgers and the Snitch and we can start practicing throwing around the Quaffle before getting onto the broom." She still had that smug smile on her face, clearly very confident with her skills. He picked up a bat and tossed it to Corrine. She seemed confused by the need for it. "You'll want this. These Bludgers are nasty little things. They've been charmed to try and hit the players. That bat is what the Beaters use to keep them under control."

"Ok, I've got this," she whispered, her voice contorted into concentration and she readied herself to hit the ball, swinging the bat in a large circle behind her head. Oliver brought his attention to the shaking case at his feet. He could feel the adrenaline running in his stomach as he always had when he released the Bludgers. He remembered his first game. Getting out onto the pitch, he only lasted two minutes before getting hit in the head with a Bludger. It put him in the Hospital Wing for a week. As soon as he unlatched the chains holding one of the Bludgers down, the small brown ball went whizzing straight into the air, nearly smacking him in the face. Slowly standing, he searched the skies and so had Corrine. She had lowered her bat. Oliver chuckled at her frustrated and worried expression, deeming her quite adorable. Suddenly, a whizzing sound could be heard from behind him. Turning around, he saw the Bludger speeding towards Corrine. He called out to her but by the time she heard, the Bludger had flown into the left side of her stomach. He could hear a scream come from her lips before she fell limp to the ground. Picking up the bat, Oliver hit the Bludger into a random direction away from Corrine's body when it had come back around to hit her again. He glanced quickly in her direction, noting that she moaned and rolled so he tried to pay attention to the Bludger. It came whirring back at him and he caught it in his stomach and weighed it down with the rest of his body while making his way over to the chest. After re-caging the Bludger, he ran back over to Corrine's wilted body. She had rolled over so that she was facing upwards now, moaning in pain and holding her ribcage.

"Damn, you alright there Corrine?" She muttered something unintelligible. "Speak up, I can't hear you.

"I hate those bloody little shits." He was taken aback by her surprisingly foul mouth. Suddenly, he began laughing, completely amused at how daring she was. Grudgingly, she sat up and chuckled at the encounter.

"Are you alright to keep going for a while?" Oliver asked, not wanting to interrupt his explanation but also not wanting to hinder her. She was, after all, supposed to be his best Chaser.

"I'll be fine, just a bruise," she said, rubbing her side. Her actions spoke differently than her words.

"Lift up the side of your shirt," he instructed. Her eyes widened and her face reddened. How else did she expect him to check on her wounds? She should have been grateful he was asking. Slowly and carefully, she lifted up a small portion of her shirt, making sure not to reveal more than necessary. He rolled his eyes before they landed on the bright red gash on her side. He gasped. "That is not 'fine'." There was no blood but it certainly seemed like the Bludger had broken a couple of her lower ribs. They were on the verge of tearing skin. "Hospital wing. Now. Don't rub it like that!" Huffing, he put one hand on her back and the other under her legs and picked her up with ease. She could have been no more than a hundred pounds. She winced at the sudden movement. Oliver could imagine with the positioning that the rib was jabbing into a different part of her body, but this was the fastest way to move her. "Sorry about that," he muttered apologizing for much more than her broken ribs. She didn't seem to pay attention to his apology and instead, grasped his Quidditch uniform tightly, trying to hold in her sobs of pain. He was tempted to hold her tighter to his chest but that would have only increased her pain. The best he could do for her now was get to the Hospital wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Oliver called out, "I've got an injured student. A couple of broken ribs I think." Madam Pomfrey rushed over, whispering to herself. She pointed to an empty cot and Oliver placed Corrine down as softly as he could.

"A quick fix. Fixing bones will be easy. Be glad you didn't lose 'em. Mending bones I can do, re-growing them is a different case. " She was walking back and forth between about five different students, telling off most of them about how they had come to arrive at the Hospital wing. Of course she cared for them all in due time, but it didn't mean she couldn't lecture them as well. All this time, Oliver noted Corrine's strange silence. There was no trace of the playful Corrine he had seen only moments before. She had seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself until being injured. Her face was emotionless and she only winced slightly when the pain had reached a certain peak.

"You sure you're alright?" Oliver asked, taking a seat on the side of the bed. She nodded, not making eye contact with him. There was a long pause between the two of them.

"Here you are deary. Drink up." Madam Pomfrey had returned with a glass of thick grey liquid. It looked absolutely revolting. Corrine made a face, clearly indicating her disgust, and sniffed the glass, making another face.

"What is it?" Corrine asked, her playful side resurfacing.

"It's not pumpkin juice, I can tell you that." She looked over at Oliver worriedly. He shrugged.

"Bottoms up." Oliver tipped the bottom of the glass into her mouth. The face she made was priceless.

After leaving the Hospital wing, Corrine was both amazed and annoyed by her treatment.

"That was the vilest and most disgusting thing I have ever had!" she complained. The potion she had taken obviously did not sit well with her system. She threw up twice and had to take it a third time to make it sit.

"Well it probably would have been better if you drank it properly," Oliver commented, clearly amused by her rage. He much preferred Corrine when she was rowdy as opposed to the quieter version of her he had seen when she first sat on the cot. He made a note to ask her about that later. Corrine shuddered at the remembrance of the potion.

"I'm just glad I'm all fixed up. And just in time for dinner too!" Her stomach growled and she looked up at Oliver. "It is dinner time right." Oliver glanced down at a non-existent watch.

"Yep, I'd say it's about that time of the evening." A large smile formed on Corrine's childish face and she went off skipping towards the dining hall. Laughing, he ran after her. She was definitely an interesting character. Suddenly stopping, she turned around and slowly walked towards Oliver. He stopped as well, curious of her actions. She embraced her tightly around his neck. Shocked by the sudden act of affection, he wrapped his hands around her waist, returning the hug. She whispered in his ear before letting go and skipping off again.

"Thank you."

"Oliver it's too early," Corrine moaned. Oliver had dragged her out onto the Quidditch pitch before classes started to finish their practice. Gryffindor's next game was in less than two weeks. They had very little time to prepare. He still had to teach her the team's strategies and techniques, let alone how to play Quidditch at all.

"Well it's either now, or after dinner." That jolted her up. Even though she hadn't attended any classes yet, she didn't desire to let her free time go. "Don't worry, we won't be doing anything too difficult right now. I'll just show you the Snitch and we'll throw the Quaffle around. That sound tolerable for you?" She nodded, too tired to speak up unless it was to complain. "Good." The chest was at his feet again. He removed the Snitch from the center of the chest and brought the golden metal sphere to her. "This is the Snitch. Wicked fast and damn near impossible to catch. This is for the Seeker to worry about. Once they catch the Snitch, the game's over." Corrine reached out to the Snitch but Oliver pulled it away. "You'll see it in action on the field. I don't think we'll be able to get this one back into the chest if we let it out."

"Oh, alright," she replied, only slightly disappointed. "Do we get to throw the Quaffle now?" He nodded. He tossed the ball at her.

"You have to throw it with one hand since the other hand will be on the broom." Lobbing the ball between her hands, she weighed it primarily in her right hand before pulling her hand back with the ball in hand and whipping it forward at Oliver's stomach. It wasn't as much as a surprise as the first time she threw the Quaffle. "Again," he said, tossing it back to her. She tried a different style of throw that time. She switched between her left and right hand, testing the different angles of throws and odd positioning. By the end of their practice, she was prancing around the field, throwing from great distances and laughing. Eventually Oliver stopped the practice. He was laughing so hard that her throws were becoming increasingly dangerous. She jogged back to him.

"A good laugh is healthy for early mornings!" she called out to him. "Really wakes you up, don't it?" Without halting his laughter, Oliver nodded.

"You are absolutely ridiculous!" Corrine bowed.

"Thank you, thank you." Bursting out into laughter once more, she reached out to Oliver for support, unable to balance herself. They both fell to the ground into fits of giggles. As their laughter finally subsided, the two of them lie their silently, enjoying the pregnant pause that had formed. It felt as if, for the first time in his life, he had found something that made him feel more alive than Quidditch.


	2. First Flight

"Classes were absolutely horrible!" Corrine was lounging next to Oliver on one of the burgundy red sofas in the Gryffindor common room. She had changed from her robes and into an overly large green shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her hair was pushed back with a blue head band and on her lap, she had scrolls, parchment and textbooks. The common room was full of other Gryffindors, bustling about, running back and forth from the dorms to the couches by the fire place. "They're even harder than my old studies. Especially Potions! I mean, I've learned little charms all my life but Potions is just ridiculous! And History of Magic, oh gosh, don't get me started! Mr. Binns put me right to sleep. Oh, and I can't forget the 12 inch Transfiguration essay I have. It's only been one day! How could I have all this work?" Throughout her rant, Corrine had managed to drape herself around the couch in at least four different positions.

"Uncomfortable there?" Oliver asked, clearly amused by her anxiety. Her textbooks and other various sheets of parchment had been thrown or had fallen to the floor. Crying out in frustration she finally took a seat next to Oliver as she should have, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Humph! This is worse than my muggle school. We've never gotten this much homework," she huffed. Oliver withheld his non-existent comment. He knew almost nothing of muggle schools. He tried to change the topic to something more comfortable for her.

"Ok, well, have you met any friends?" Her expression immediately changed. Her right hand rose to touch her chin, as if pondering.

"Hmm, well I did meet a few people. Especially when I mentioned your name." Oliver looked away, attempting to conceal an unintended blush. He shouldn't have been acting this way having only known her for one day. Having that thought made him even more flustered.

"What did you say about me?" he asked. Corrine shrugged, slumping back into the loveseat.

"You were the only friend I had here. Who else would I talk about?" Oliver wasn't sure how he would interoperate the word 'friend' but decided to wonder about it later on. "I got to meet the rest of the team. Fred, George, Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. I didn't see a trace of Harry though." She paused in thought. "They all thought I was, 'cute'." She smiled at the thought.

"You're a mile more than 'cute'." She shook her head, finding a different meaning to his words. Her eyes became half-lidded and she smiled faintly, as if remembering an old and wonderful memory.

"I'm just so happy that people like me. They notice me." Her voice was barely a whisper. Oliver didn't speak. Corrine brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Sometimes I wonder if I belonged in Slytherin. I scare myself sometimes." Oliver mulled over her statement and came to a conclusion.

"You could never be in Slytherin. It's just not who you are."

"How do you know who I am?" She was whispering into her knees but Oliver could hear her loud and clear. He didn't know her. He thought he knew her. She was the bubbly and eccentric Corrine McMichael. But maybe that wasn't all. It clearly wasn't all, considering her state. "Ignorance is bliss, is it not? I may appear blissful but I'm certainly not ignorant." The room felt as if it had gone into a silent lull. Oliver wasn't sure what to say. Corrine confused him greatly and he didn't know what words would help her. Seeing her mood swings, he felt that she could easily snap at him with a single wrong step. He was walking on eggs. Suddenly, dual voices could be heard.

"Corry! How you been?" Corrine's head snapped upwards to face the red headed twins. A large smile stretched across her face. Oliver was unsure if it was fake, or if she had suddenly become ignorant. She seemed to have a switch for her bliss. To be frank, Oliver didn't particularly like their nickname for her either. Her own name gave her a proper representation.

"Fred! George!" Corrine jumped from her seat and the twins hugged her simultaneously. Oliver wondered when the three of them had become so close. As the boys stood straight, she held on to their necks and found herself dangling a foot from the floor.

"Someone's excited to see us," George commented, putting her back down. Corrine nodded and smiled. Oliver wondered why it was that the twins could make her this happy when only seconds ago, she was completely miserable. Was it his fault?

"Boy Wood, you must have made her pretty upset for her to be this happy," Fred said, winking at him. Oliver was about to protest, barely getting out a single word before Corrine interrupted him.

"He really was quite awful Fred. He insisted that I actually _do_ my homework!" She mocked Fred and George's English accent. The three of them laughed loudly.

"Wow Wood, way to be a boring old bloke, huh Corry?" George nudged Corrine in the side, kneeling down to do so. Oliver wondered in what world was it frowned upon to support his friends in school. He wanted Corrine to do well and the only way for her to learn, was the study and do homework. I wasn't as if the theories were all that difficult either, granted that he had studied magic for many more years than her, and that he had grown up in the Wizarding world.

"Definitely," she replied. Oliver stood suddenly and without another word, exited the common room to his dorm, he had enough of this attack on his work habits. Corrine looked over at Fred and George sadly. "Was that my fault?" They shrugged and smiled.

"Don't worry about him."

"He much too serious for his own good. Especially with Quidditch and theory about hard work."

"Nothing worth having is easy."

The twins walked soon after Oliver had, presumably going to comfort Oliver. Corrine was almost certain that their motive was to tease him more but she had no interest in their games. She compared the Oliver she had just witnessed to the Oliver that she had met and known only yesterday. They seemed to be two completely different people. Not that she should have talked. Her emotions changed just as constantly, if not more often. She wondered which Oliver was the real Oliver.

"Welcome back to the pitch Corrine," Oliver greeted. Today he had chosen a time slot after classes so she would be more awake. They would be flying today. In his hands, he held two brooms, his own and one borrowed from the school. It was a Cleansweep but they had to make do with what they had. Corrine had been suited into a brand new red and golden Quidditch uniform, complete with brown safety pads. To be honest, Oliver hadn't expected such a burly uniform to look flattering on her petit figure. The cloth of the uniform was only a bit too large but was tucked firmly into place by the tight fitting padding. It seemed that the pieces were either too large or too small for her. Her hair had been pulled back again into a sprig of a pony tail.

"Hey Oliver," she replied, slightly preoccupied with her shoulder pads. She looked up and smiled at Oliver and he couldn't help but look away. "What do you think of my new uniform?" She spun and curtsied, bringing up the extra cloth that hung over. Oliver laughed at the monstrosity of a costume.

"Very cute," he commented honestly. For now, it was the best description of her he could muster. He didn't know it was possible, but her smiled grew even larger at the compliment and she giggled gleefully.

"Alright, well today we're going to start flying." She didn't seem to like the idea. "You alright?" It was her turn to look away now. She didn't seem comfortable suddenly and shrunk away from him.

"No, I'm fine." Her voice was tense. Of course he knew it was a lie but didn't persist. He handed her the Cleansweep and she held onto it awkwardly.

"I've never flown before," she muttered.

"Which is exactly why I have to teach you. That's half of the game, being up there." He mounted his own broom and hovered, taking a few laps around the stadium. He truly loved being up in the air, having the wind rush against his face and knowing that he was traveling at lightning speed. After a couple rounds, he landed back in front of Corrine. She still seemed worried. He had a guess as to why but he prayed that he was wrong. "Alright, your turn. We can skip the baby steps and hopefully get right to it. We don't exactly have the leisure of time here." She nodded silently and placed all of her focus onto mounting her broom. His suspicions were becoming more and more likely. "And now, what you want to do is just lean forward slightly and push off with the tip of your toes." Nodding slowly, she took her time getting up from the ground. "Need to lean a bit more," Oliver whispered. Her lips became a thin line. Suddenly her feet began to hover off the ground. She struggled to keep herself steady and made small little squeaks every time her balance threatened to throw her off. "Don't panic, relax and just come back down." She was eager to follow his instructions now. As soon as she was back on solid ground, she released a large breath. "You're afraid of heights aren't you?" He brought his face close to hers, making sure she couldn't lie her way out of this. She couldn't even look him in the eyes and her cheeks were completely pink. "You should have just told me."

"But then I wouldn't be able to play!" She was completely distressed by her handicap. "You said it yourself, getting up there is half of the game! No matter how good I am at throwing the Quaffle, if I can't get myself up there, I can't play."

"I guess Professor McGonagall didn't account for everything, did she." Oliver murmured.

"No she didn't."

"Then why did you agree to play? You said you've seen Quidditch before. It's a bit difficult to miss the fact that the players a hundred feet up in the air." He had seen that he had struck a nerve. Her whole body flinched away from him and any signs of worry or happiness were completely wiped from her face. It had all been replaced by anger.

"I needed an out. Any excuse to get out." Her words were barely loud enough for him to hear.

"An out?" Her head rose and she glared at him intensely. Her hair was not able to block the fire in her dark eyes and the look sent shivers down his spine. This was clearly not a good subject to discuss. "I, well, um, how about we just stick to trying to cure you of your fear of heights?" She turned her glare elsewhere, which he took as a good sign. He pondered over the issue. He hadn't actually figured out a way to help her get over her fear, but any change in topic would have been better. "Ok, how about we take this one step at a time. Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"With what exactly?" Oliver thought again.

"With your life." There was a pause, and Oliver was afraid that she would say no. He could think of no other way to adjust her to the height. Not to mention that it would hurt him emotionally to know that she held not trust in him.

"Yes."

"Then we're going on a short flight." He grabbed her hand and led her arms to wrap around his waist. He was quite excited actually. He had never down a side along flight before but he knew he would never drop her. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown to care deeply for her in the past few days. It wasn't that she disliked liking her as it was that he thought himself to be shallow for only having waited three days to decide it. They both mounted his broom and he lifted off into the air, her grip around his stomach tightly exponentially once they left the ground. He could hear here whimpering. "Don't worry!" he called back, laughing, "You trusted me right?"

"It's kind of hard to tell if I made the right decision now!" she yelled back. Her eyes were shut tightly and her grip on Oliver was nearly suffocating. She wanted to badly to tell him to go back down, to go back down to safety but couldn't bring herself to do it. She was supposed to be a brave Gryffindor and her behavior now was not brave.

"Open your eyes Corrine!" Oliver could feel Corrine vigorously shake her head in his back. "If I slow down will you open your eyes?" She thought for a few seconds before nodding her head. She could feel the speed slow and she slowly opened her eyes. Looking out, she could see that they were at level with the stands. She admired the beauty of the view from where she sat. Loosening her grip on Oliver, she leaned back slightly in order to fully capture the sight. It was possible that she could really enjoy herself up there in the future. Oliver laughed out loud. "Just don't look down!" Of course, as he said it, her head tilted downward. They were at least one hundred feet off the ground. Corrine screamed at the top of her lungs and clung back onto Oliver's back and buried her face into his back. Her sudden movement shook the broom and forced Oliver to focus on flying instead of enjoying her embrace. He liked knowing that she trusted him. Her fear was actually very cute in his eyes. He could imagine her expression. Corrine had always appeared to be so strong. She was able to hold on to herself and had never needed to rely on others. Now, as she faced her fear, he was able to protect her and help her. He felt needed. It felt good.

"Down! Down now!" Corrine was screaming now. She was truly terrified. He didn't want to be rude by laughing loud enough for her to hear but couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This was where he was more important than the twins. Not that he usually cared whether or not he was superior to anyone. That usually wasn't part of his personality. Of course he was competitive and it showed naturally in his love for Quidditch. However, outside of the sport, he had never wished to win everything. Only now did he want to be better than Fred and George.

"Alright, here we go," he warned. He drove the broom down and they drove straight for earth below. He could hear Corrine shriek as loudly and as high pitched as a banshee. Once they had landed and Corrine had just about snogged the ground, she stood and slapped Oliver in the arm. Her cheeks were tear-streaked and her whole body was shaking.

"That was not funny Oliver!" Corrine wrapped her arms around her body, trying to physically hold herself together, hoping that it would help her mentally. Oliver's smile disappeared.

"I'm so sorry Corrine. I was just trying to have a little fun." He draped his arms around Corrine's shoulders and held her close to his chest as she cried and trembled. He had never meant for things to go this far. "I hope you still trust me," he whispered into her hair as he kissed the top of her head. She didn't respond, though it was possible that she couldn't respond between her sobs.

Finally, he got his answer as she embraced his waist while sobering. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she grumbled into his chest. He chuckled to himself and stroked her short and now scruffy brown hair while answering with a vague pledge.

"I promise to always keep you safe."

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I would just like to say thank you for all who've read this so far. I'll be on vacation for the next seven days without any internet so I won't be able to update. I apologize. A big thanks to ****americanathogwarts ****for being the first to review my story. I really appreciate it! Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out my other stories! Enjoy and Review!**


	3. Even when we lose, we win

Corrine needed only a month to adjust to the school's schedule. And although she adjusted, it didn't prevent her from complaining about the early mornings and boring or painful classes (primarily to Oliver). Those classes consisted mainly of Potions and History of Magic. She had also taken the liberty of joining an Ancient Runes class. It wasn't the most difficult but proved to be a challenge.

Oliver took Corrine out to the Quidditch pitch at least three times a week. The team only met once a week and as the first game of his final year approached, those team practices became more frequent. Corrine had definitely proved herself to be an outstanding Chaser. It took some time for her to get over her fear of heights but they had finally found a compromise. She was comfortable enough, but Oliver always had to be aware of the fact that they hadn't even begun to practice flying techniques and maneuvers. It also crossed his mind that, because they were facing Slytherin, there was almost a certain chance that Flint would attempt to throw her off of her broom. He wasn't sure what he would do if that happened. There wouldn't be a way to keep his promise by then. Of course he had meant it but he wasn't sure if it was possible or not.

Ever since Katie had broken her leg in an accident during Care for Magical Creatures class, they had never needed Corrine more. Their first game was against Slytherin and with their house rivalry, the match couldn't have been more important. Well, it would have been eventful if the news hadn't struck.

"What do you mean we aren't facing Slytherin?" Angelina cried.

"Their seeker can't play with his injury." Oliver spat Draco's title from his lips.

"He's faking it!" Of course it was Harry who contradicted him. "He's just trying to get out of the game because of the weather!"

"I know," Oliver replied, "But there's no way we can prove it. We're up against Hufflepuff tomorrow." Fred and George looked at each other and gave each other triumphant high-fives. "Now don't get soft on me here! Just because they've changed up the match, doesn't mean we shouldn't be working and trying just as hard. We can't let our guard down just because are egos are getting in the way." Fred rolled his eyes.

"We _know_ Oliver. You'd never let us forget. Or live it down for that matter." Corrine giggled. She had known Oliver well enough by now to know that as well. Oliver was a very strong person but his competitive nature in Quidditch was never a surprise.

"Now, we have to be extra careful tomorrow," Oliver started. He needed to go over all of the safety precautions now and again tomorrow before the game. "The ground will be soft from the rain so any falls shouldn't be too bad." He had said that for Corrine's benefit. "But there'll be a lot of wind and your line of sight won't be the best. We're going to that back to find a way to see through the rain and storm but we can figure it out tomorrow. Now, I'm aware that Hufflepuff is at the same disadvantage but that does mean we're equal. You never know. Never under estimate the other team, even if they won't fight as dirty as Slytherin." The group nodded, allowing the information to sink in. As the table scattered, Corrine ran to catch up with Oliver through the crowd.

"Oliver!" she called out. Oliver's head could be seen above the crowd, searching for the voice that said his name. She finally managed to catch up and grabbed the sleeve. "Oliver, what're we going to do? I can barely fly." Oliver bent down towards her ear and whispered lightly into it.

"You'll be fine. Trust me." His words sent shivers down her spine and she released his sleeve. Oliver enjoyed that he could get that reaction from her. Shaking her head, she ran after him again, having him lead her to their next class. Even he wasn't sure if she would do fine but he knew that she functioned off of confidence. She would play her best if he believed in her. The only thing he couldn't help was if she believed in herself.

"Alright, it's time everyone!" The team huddled around Oliver, Corrine taking close stride with the twins and Oliver. "Remember, watch for the rain and try to keep your line of vision clear. I know it's easier said than done but this is a nasty storm. Try to stay low enough and away from the rain clouds. We're going to start with the fifth maneuver. It will definitely throw the other team off. We won't start with Corrine yet since she'll be our secret weapon." He winked at the small brunette and she could feel George nudge her side encouragingly. The girls gave her smile thumbs up and some of the others nodded her way. "But we definitely need something to throw them off. So fifth maneuver right Angelina? Alicia? Alright, let's go!"

The game began well. Alicia grabbed the Quaffle straight away and flew directly for the three goal posts, tossing it in with a no-nonsense first goal, getting ten points for Gryffindor. Corrine flew by and gave Alicia an appreciative high-five. Soon the Quaffle was back into the game and in Hufflepuff hands. Corrine hurried to knock the ball from the opposing chaser's hands and picked up the Quaffle from the air. She threw it downwards to Angelina and firmly took hold of her broom once more. The wind was becoming fierce. Corrine's body threatened to fall from her broom but she refused to look down. If she had, she would have fallen. She could hear the others zoom past her and a small buzzing that temporarily rested next to her ear but made no move to change her position. She had reached the point of nausea. Suddenly, the air around her froze. Through the rain, she could see her own breath in front of her and ice was forming around her hands and broom. Corrine felt as if all of the happiness had disappeared from her and she slowly descended back to the floors of the pitch. There was screams of panic and she could hear her teammates and other Quidditch players rambling about. She was slowly remembering how she got here. How her father had sent her away. How he wanted nothing to do with her or her mother. How her mother had died. She could hear more screams but these were not from the crowd. She hadn't noticed till then, but she was breathing heavily and she'd dropped her broom. Her knees gave in beneath her and her world turned to darkness.

Oliver took off to the skies immediately, positioning himself in front of the goals. From what he could make out, Alicia had already scored a goal in the first few minutes. He made himself a mental note to congratulate her later on. As the game progressed, the storm got worse and worse. He wasn't sure where his team was anymore and he was almost certain that he had been scored on at least twice without notice. As soon as he felt the frozen air and frost forming, he knew that the dementors had managed to find their way to the pitch. Frantically, he left his position and searched for his team members. He could see most of them flying in circles, wondering what the circumstance was. Harry was up at the top, fighting off at least three dementors but all that mattered was that he couldn't find Corrine. Oliver knew he couldn't do anything for Harry when he saw him fall past his broom. It was too late. There was no time for Oliver to react and by the time he had gotten down to the ground, Harry lay sprawled. There was screaming from all around him as they witnessed the sight. Laying closer by the Gryffindor goals was a small female body.

"Corrine!" Oliver yelped. A loud cheer could be heard and Oliver had barely noticed that the game was still going. Well, it was, until Cedric Diggory had caught the snitch. Oliver flew directly over to the limp body and jumped off his broom to reach out to her. She still had a strong pulse but was completely unconscious. He flew back up to check on the circumstances. After he had left his post, three more goals had been won to Hufflepuff. Oliver swore at himself and violently landed, congratulating the Hufflepuff team. He reluctantly shook the captain's hand before reporting to George that Corrine lay near the goal posts. He couldn't help her now. He had failed. It was his fault that everything had turned out badly. They had lost the game, Harry had been injured, dementors had entered the pitch and Corrine had also been hurt. He could barely stand to know she had been hurt. He didn't know how to face her again. After he had promised that she would be safe. How would she ever be able to trust him again? He knew that avoiding her would only make things worse but he wanted to at least delay the inevitable. He wanted to pretend that he still had her for as long as he could.

Corrine could feel a pair of arms wrapped around her. They were carrying her somewhere though she couldn't tell where. Her head was pounding and she didn't have the energy to move or protest her movement. She could only barely manage speech.

"Oliver?" she whispered, her voice more coarse than she had expected. Slowly, her lids rose and she could see fiery orange hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Nope, not Oliver. He's too busy drowning himself in the showers." It was George who winked playfully at her.

"George? What are you doing here? Where are you taking me?" Corrine's voice was becoming more audible and her mind began to clear. She wanted to know where Oliver was. She could imagine exactly why he was drowning himself in the showers. She wanted to let him know that it wasn't his fault and that she wasn't hurt. She wanted him to know that she still trusted him.

"I'm taking you to the hospital wing. You passed out when the dementors came around the pitch. Nobody knows for sure what happened but they're all taking care of Harry right now. He fell right off his broom at at least a hundred feet. He's already in the hospital wing but I came back to get you. Oliver told me you were lying near the goals. Are you feeling any better?" Corrine's mind had wandered, recalling exactly what had happened as she fell. Her body involuntarily shivered and she looked up at George.

"I'm fine. I don't think I'll need to go to the hospital wing. I just have a slight head-ache. I hardly think that requires treatment." George shook his head.

"You look a lot worse than you feel then." Corrine flinched.

"It's that bad?" He shook his head.

"Nah, just bad enough." She buried herself into George's chest, embarrassed by her vulnerability. George laughed.

"Where's Fred?" she asked, genuinely curious. He shrugged.

"He's off tending to Angelina's emotional wounds."

"Oh." She had always thought that it was George who had adored Angelina. He responded to her unsaid question.

"I'll get over it. I mean, Fred usually gets what he wants. It's always been that way. He's more, vocal, about what he wants."Corrine remained silent, unsure of what to say. "Besides, I've already moved on." He looked straight ahead as he said that. They had finally reached the infirmary and he lay her down on a nearby cot.

"This is the second time I've been in here in the last month," she grumbled. George laughed, bringing Corrine to smile as well. "So what does that make you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if Fred is the one who's more vocal and gets what he wants, what does that make you?"

"Oh, that still?" He took a seat on a chair next to the bed and folded Corrine's hands over her lap. "Well I guess that makes me the one who gets whatever is left over. I never usually complain but sometimes it can be a pain."

"You need to take control over that. It's not fair that your brother gets all the ladies when you're just as good as he is." He sat up straighter, proving that he could handle power. "You need to stand up to him and take what you want!"

"Corrine," George began. His words were soft and quiet suddenly and she wondered why. "What do you think of me?" She paused to think before answering.

"I think you're wonderful George. You're thoughtful and caring. You're definitely the more quiet one between you and Fred, but equally goofy and fun to be around. You're strange, creative and inventive. I like you." George's complexion began to match the color of his hair.

"I didn't mean as a mate. I meant as a bloke."

"Oh!" It was her turn to blush. She had always found George to be very pleasant, but a single factor had always bothered her. "George you're fifteen."

"What's two years?" He reached out to grab hold of her hand that still rested on her stomach. "It's not as if we'll look odd if that's what you're implying. If anything, you'd look too young for me."

"That's not what I'm worried about George! It's about morals. I'm two years older than you, it's not right!"

"So you're saying that if a bloke two years older than you asked you out, you'd say no as well?"

That's different." George's right eyebrow rose above his left and Corrine began to notice that her logic would not get through to him. "George it's just that, we mature differently. I honestly don't know if you're mature enough for a relationship. I'm not in it for flings." He shook his head.

"Corrine you have no idea. I'm really happy when I'm with you. You make me feel great just knowing you're around me. I want to make sure that there's always a smile on your face and that I'm the one to put it there. Even if you do reject me I'll be okay with that, as long as I can be your friend and stay by your side." Corrine's face was a deep shade of red as she sat up in her cot and brought her hand to his cheek. Her smile was genuine and George knew that it was now or never. He quickly brushed his lips against hers. He could feel her body jump at his touch and he slowly sat back, looking into her eyes for an answer to his plea. She was still in shock, her expression nearly blank. Unexpectedly, a small grin crept to her lips and she reached out to find his hand. Giving it a squeeze, she hooked her other hand around the back of his neck and reinitiated their kiss. As strange as it had felt to kiss a fifteen year old, Corrine hadn't been happier in a long time.

**Author's Note: Hello and thank you for reading. Corrine and George make things a bit more complicated but I just thought I'd like to add a bit more drama. Yes, I know I have hardly developed their relationship but things move quickly over the month that I did not describe.**

**Thank you again to americanathogwarts for reviewing. I'd also like to send a huge thanks to everyone who's been adding this to their favorite's or their alerts list. It's been great to get all these notifications. I will do shout-outs to anyone who legitimately reviews my stories. I would really appreciate the support and it will push to write more, faster. Hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone!**

**-Sydney**


	4. Oliver's Inner Conflict

The change room was empty except for the sound of a running shower. Corrine slowly walked around the corner entering the male change room that she was clearly not allowed to be in. She had just left the hospital wing after checking up on Harry and saying her goodbyes to George. She knew she needed to check up on Oliver after the incident. He would never forgive himself if she didn't speak to him.

"Oliver?" she whispered, hoping to catch his attention so she would not have to step any further into the area. She felt intrusive of their privacy, and to be honest, she wasn't all too certain if Oliver was fully clothed or not. "Oliver?" She knew he was there now. There was a distinctive clanking noise of metallic items being thrown into walls of shower stall. "Oliver, its Corrine." The clanking stopped. "Oliver." It was clear that he wasn't about to come out so she went in. She found him sitting beneath a running shower head, his head buried in his hand. She turned off the shower and took a seat next to him. Not a word was said but they needed no words. Oliver was in a great deal of pain, blaming himself for everything. Corrine knew how he was by now. Talking would only make things worse now. She needed to wait until he was ready to talk, only then would he listen.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, unmoving. Corrine placed a hand gently on Oliver's shoulder and leaned on him.

"Oliver, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault."

"I broke my promise to you."

"No you didn't. I'm not hurt." Not physically hurt. "I just couldn't handle the dementors Oliver. I didn't realize they would be so, awful. I flew down. I didn't fall." He didn't speak. "Oliver, no matter how upset at this you are, I never regret meeting you. You opened up a new world for me, figuratively and literally. You taught me how to fly and you helped me get over my fear. Not in that order." He couldn't hide his small grin and Corrine smiled. "Being with you is fun. I trust you." His head rose at the last words and he looked at her longingly. Her smile was still apparent and she hugged him tightly. "Harry is doing fine, though I'd expect he wouldn't mind a visit from you." She released him and continued. "You might not want to go up like this though. You look like more of a wreck than Harry or I. And we were the ones that took that damage."

"Yea," he chuckled, "that would be my fault. I suppose self inflicted harm is worse than regular harm huh?"

"Who would have known?" They both stood, Oliver never taking her eyes off of Corrine.

"Thank you." Her head snapped in his direction, her large eyes holding a question. "Thank you for coming here to make sure I was okay."

"Oh," she replied, blushing. "It was nothing."

"No, it wasn't." He clasped his hands onto her shoulders and turned her to face him. "I- I really want to thank you Corrine. I don't know if I would have ever left if you hadn't come." With that, he held her in a tight embrace. It took a moment for Corrine to respond to his sudden display of affection but she hugged him back.

"You're welcome Oliver."

"You and George?" Oliver was in shock. "You and George." Corrine sat in silence. They had returned back to hospital wing to check up on Harry. Oliver hadn't bothered to change from his soaking wet uniform and neither had Corrine. His short brown hair was sticking in all directions as the water shaped it oddly. The only people left in the infirmary were Hermione and Ron. Harry had started what seemed to be a long nap and didn't show any signs of waking any time soon, but the visit was still somewhat significant. Oliver's thoughts wavered from Harry to the situation with Corrine. He had blown it. He realized that now. He had lost to a younger bloke, to George specifically. Oliver wondered if he was simply slow or if he had done something wrong to upset her.

"If you think any harder, I think you might burst a vein," Corrine whispered. He looked down to see her staring up at him tentatively. He was speechless and she giggled at how awkward he must have looked. "What are you thinking about?" He stumbled at the question and turned to look away from her.

"Nothing."

"Sure about that? You seemed to be thinking pretty hard about something," she insisted, forcing her way into his point of vision again. He opened his mouth to answer when he was interrupted.

"Corry!" Oliver flinched at the sound of her nickname.

"Hey George." Corrine rose to capture him in an embrace and have her body lifted from the floor.

"Miss me?" he asked, putting her down but never lifting his hands from her waist.

"It's only been ten minutes, what was there to miss?" She was smiling at him and Oliver wished that that was how she looked at him. She was absolutely glowing in delight. George feigned distress.

"Ouch. Corry, I'm hurt. You didn't miss me at all?"

"Was I supposed to?" He rolled his eyes while she giggled flirtatiously. Oliver was going to be sick. The sight was repulsively syrupy and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be George anymore. Or maybe he had. His mind was jumbled in confusion and he wasn't sure what he wanted any longer. Finally, Corrine gave George and peck on the cheek and went back to sit next to Oliver. As mature as he was, Oliver nearly stuck his tongue out at George, nearly. Corrine read the expression on Oliver's face, though not well.

"Was it that weird?" she asked.

"What do you mean weird?" He feared that she was reading his mind.

"That we're together. I mean, he's a fifth year and I'm a seventh. I suppose it would seem strange." Corrine looked so vulnerable at that moment. It could have been so easy for Oliver o break them up then and there. She clearly cared for his opinion and if he said that it looked strange, then she would have left him. But Oliver was righteous and he cursed himself be for being so.

"It's not that at all. It doesn't look entirely bizarre. I'm actually more fazed by the amount of public display of affection rather than the age gap," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck nervously at the topic. Corrine blushed furiously.

"Oh, sorry about that." She giggled and he cherished the sound. George had taken a seat on the opposite side of the bed, clearly feeling no threat in seeing Oliver and Corrine have a private conversation in front of him. Oliver felt insulted that he did not pose as a threat to their relationship. He was surprised that George could be so confident and think so little of him. He was tempted to put his arm around Corrine to see how he would react but reminded himself 'courage not stupidity'. However tempting it was, it was stupid, and he wouldn't want to look like even less of a bloke to Corrine than he already did.

"Are you sure about this Oliver?" Corrine called out from her broom. She had already taken off and was about five feet from the ground, her short stubby pigtails bobbing as she whipped her head back and forth, surveying her surroundings. She seemed to be very paranoid since the dementors had wandered onto the pitch. Weeks after the accident, Oliver decided it was time to teach Corrine a few of the team's maneuvers and how to properly dodge another player or a bludger. When playing against Slytherin, they were usually the same thing.

"Definitely," he called out, already circling her in the air. "The best way to keep yourself safe is to learn how to fly safe right?"

"Right…" Corrine was absolutely terrified of what she might be doing. It was bad enough that she had almost no confidence while flying but maneuvers as well?

"First we'll try an easy flip around the broom. Best way to dodge a bludger when it's headed straight for you."

"Wouldn't flying away just be easier?" Corrine whined. Oliver shook his head.

"Not when it's inches from your face it isn't. Now come on, just watch." Oliver easily demonstrated a quick barrel roll before giving her further instructions. "Just get a bit of momentum and loosen your fingers a little bit so you can spin. You don't take the broom spinning with you." Corrine gulped.

"I have to let go of the broom while I'm upside-down?" She was baffled. Oliver chuckled, looking forward to seeing how she would attempt this.

"That's right Corrine. You just got to loosen up. Don't grip it." Leaning to her left, she pushed herself to her right side, feeling the rush of adrenaline go through her body, finding herself hold on tightly to her broom. He laughed. He knew what the result would be and he knew it wasn't particularly dangerous but the sight was still amusing to see. Corrine was hanging from her broom as it hovered five feet from the floor, her feet touching the ground. Even as she was standing with her broom above her head, she shrieked as if she were still falling. Landing and walking up to her, he leaned his chin on her shoulder and whispered to her.

"You didn't let go, did you?" Her screaming stopped abruptly and she jerked her head in his direction, hitting her head against his. Both of them were rubbing portions of their head, Oliver his forehead and Corrine the side.

"Ow…" she moaned, finally releasing her broom, leaving it floating in the air.

"Well, should have seen that coming. But at least you finally let go of your broom." Smacking his arm lightly, she pulled her broom down and mounted it again. She was clearly very frustrated with him and herself.

"I'll get this!" she muttered and flew up once more.

After approximately twenty attempts later, she had finally managed to perform a full, though awkwardly executed, barrel-roll.

"Oliver, Oliver! I did it! Did you see that?" Corrine was outright screaming with joy. She couldn't seem to contain herself as she hopped up and down. Trying to capture her shoulders beneath his hands, he laughed at how giddy she had become in one successful go. He wondered how she would feel after the other techniques she would have to learn. This was, after all, the simplest one he could think of. Before he was able to calm her, she leapt up towards him with her outstretched arms and caught him in a tight embrace around his neck, her feet swinging from the floor. She began to kick and giggle while she hung from his neck. Unsure what to do, Oliver brought his arms around her waist, questioning if he was crossing any lines with regards to her relationship with George. Even so, he enjoyed their moment and relished in the thought of her petit body pressed against his. She was like a doll, weighing close to nothing. Releasing herself from his neck, her full weight pulled his arms down, forcing him to bring her back to the ground. Still high from her accomplishment, she smiled and giggled.

"I've got to go find George and tell him!" she gasped, surprised that it had not been her initial action. Oliver felt three things: pride, success and upset. Pride that the thought of George had slipped her mind, success that he was able to teach her a new technique and upset that she need to tell George so badly. Corrine turned to leave the pitch, eager to tell her boyfriend, but was stopped by a tug on her sleeve. Oliver hadn't noticed that he had moved his arm but didn't regret it. He thought that he could handle Corrine and George's relationship but he really couldn't. He hadn't said a word and she waited for a while before speaking up. "Oliver? Is something wrong?" Her eyes had widened as she asked the question and she appeared even more innocent and cute than ever before. Not knowing how to put his thoughts into words, he simply decided to blurt it all out.

"I don't like that you're going out with George." Corrine looked hurt at his words and he regretted saying them immediately. Her eyes darted away from his and she pulled her sleeve out of his grasp, feeling a sudden uncomfortable air. He could tell that her thoughts were jumbled and confused, unsure of his reason for saying such a thing.

"Why?" Her voice was small and Oliver nearly missed her question. He was hesitant to answer it, learning from his previous mistake of not thinking about his words. He didn't need to answer. "Is it because of the age difference?" He shook his head. She pondered the question for a bit longer. "You don't like George?" Again, he shook his head, this time running his fingers through his short brown hair nervously. She could tell she was getting warmer. Her thoughts wandered through every possible situation and he could tell that she had landed upon a single one more than once. There was a mixture of emotions again as his desire for her to know conflicted with his wish for her to me ignorant for a little longer. Finally, she opened her mouth to say something and was interrupted almost immediately, forcing relief and frustration to wash over Oliver.

"Corry!" George called out. He was by the edge of the pitch, having just walked up. He was waving his arm frantically, trying to attract her attention. Completely forgetting any form of conversation that the two of them had just had, she ran eagerly into George's arms. "Hello love," George said casually, not noticing Oliver walking up closely behind her. She kissed him on the cheek before saying hello back. She caught herself when she remembered that Oliver was still watching and glanced back at him apologetically. He noticed their immense height difference and how she had to tip-toe when she kissed George. Oliver wondered what it would look like if she had him on the cheek, or possibly even the lips. He was a bit shorter than George was. The three walked away from the pitch, Corrine standing in between the two of them. George had gone off into a rant about his latest scheme to deter Filch and Corrine was listening intently to every word. Every so often, she would steal a quick glance in Oliver's direction and he wondered if he was seeing things. Was it possible that she was searching for approval? Oliver watch as George intertwined his fingers with Corrine's and stormed off, unwilling to watch their affections any longer. Corrine noticed and quickly shouted out a vague reminder.

"You have to tell me later, okay? I won't forget!"

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I apologize, the story is moving quite slowly. Thanks to americanathogwarts for reviewing. It really brightens my day to see so many notices from this site. I realize that I've lost George's depth in this chapter but I definitely plan on bringing it back in the next chapter. There will also be a lot of Corrine's depth resurfacing soon as well. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it! **

**Until the next chapter,**

**-Sydney**


	5. Giving up and Giving in

Corrine was acting bizarrely. George couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely up. "Fred and I were out in the Forbidden Forrest just last night, when dementors came swooping down on us. They sucked out our souls and we died. What do you think Corrine?" She was staring idly forward, barely listening to a word that had just been said.

"I think it's great," she mumbled. George immediately took an extra step forward and stopped in front of her, his hands on his hips in an over dramatic fashion.

"There were about three things wrong with that sentence, take your pick." Corrine stepped straight into his chest before realizing he was there. She was too busy furiously rubbing her bruised nose with the sleeve of uniform to notice that he has spoken to her. His expression softened. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, lowering down to her level, his forehead leaning on hers. He casually rested his arms on her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes. She avoided eye contact instantly.

"Nothing." She soon noticed that she also could not move her head away.

"You've been upset ever since Oliver left," he replied, ignoring her answer. "He'll be fine. I'm sure he was just embarrassed and wanted to leave us alone. You know, as a couple." He could feel the rush of blood in his cheeks when he spoke. He never thought he would have to put such a situation into words but he didn't mind when he saw that Corrine had become just as pink as he probably looked. She was biting her lip and looking down at her hands, which were fiddling with the oversized sleeves of her uniform. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one that found the topic a bit nerve racking. They had never done anything more than kisses on the cheeks and hugs. Once in a while, they would cuddle out in the Common room but there was nothing too serious. Not that he minded. He meant every word he said when he first told her that he liked her. Being with her was enough. The longer he stayed close to her face, the more nervous she got. Before she could bite her lip off, he finally stepped back and held out his hand. "Why don't we go back to the Common room so you can change? You can try to help me with my homework before Fred and Lee distract me." He smiled as he finally got a giggle out of her and he knew the situation had been resolved. That was one of the things he really liked about her, she was simple to please. He could make her happy. Or so he thought. Nodding, she placed her small hand in his and they walked back to the Common room together, Corrine's mind wandering all the while.

Oliver was sitting alone in the Common room when they entered. The couches were empty and the fireplace was the only sound to be heard. The day was bright and lovely. No one dared to stay indoors. George looked over to see Corrine's reaction and she seemed intrigued by the fact that Oliver was present. Subtly, George nudged Corrine and nodded towards the girl's dorm. Remember her purpose for being in the Common room, she nodded, bouncing as she did, and rushed up the girl's dormitory stairs. George took the opportunity to have a small chat with Oliver. He boldly took a seat on the couch Oliver was lounging in and they sat there for a few seconds before George decided to speak. He could tell Oliver was in deep thought as he was staring directly into the flames of the fireplace.

"So when did you start to like her?" He was going to get straight to the point. He found no purpose in beating around the bush. He had known for a very long time but Oliver just proved his assumption when he ran off earlier that day. Oliver flinched at his question. His body had stiffened and George could tell that he had hit a nerve. George was somewhat amused but he kept his direct composure.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver muttered, turning his head away from George. George took note of the fact that he didn't answer his question. Smirking, he continued to pester him. He didn't have very long to get his information.

"It's alright mate, I knew for a while." Oliver flinched again, still not responding. George sighed. "I'll admit that I'm not exactly comfortable with your liking my girlfriend." There was no movement from the other side of the couch. "I just wanted to know what you planed on doing."

"Doing?" Oliver asked.

"So I can stop you of course." It wasn't the only reason but it was the only one that George dared to vocalize.

"I don't plan on doing anything. Don't worry yourself." George was shocked at his response. Oliver was usually a very 'go to' guy. When he wanted something, he got it. George didn't like the idea that Corrine may not have been worth his time. She was worth every second of it. He knew he was digging his own grave by saying his next words but he needed Corrine to be happy. He wasn't stupid.

"What's wrong with you Wood? What happened to 'Nothing worth having is easy.' Isn't that what you always said? So what gives? You don't think she's good enough for your time? Is that it? Because if anything, you aren't worth her time!" George never raised his voice, but he was at a harsh whisper by the end of it. Oliver was dumbstruck.

"Why are you giving me a pep-talk? She's your girlfriend." George paused. He wasn't sure. He reverted back into a quieter self.

"I don't think she's as happy with me as she could be. She's never really all there. In the beginning she was. Completely smitten really. Very cute. But after a while, specifically after any practices with you, she gets more distant. I don't think she does it consciously. She definitely wouldn't. Especially if she knew that it upset me. She's just not that type of person. She cares too much about others and never pays attention to herself but she still manages to keep up that smile. She may not know that yet but I really do think she likes you." Oliver's face flushed and George nearly smacked his own forehead after having to explain all of that. He wished he could be more selfish when it came to Corrine.

"That's, chivalrous of you. I didn't expect that."

"Yea , neither did I," George muttered back, realizing the full impact of his argument. Oliver nodded at him respectfully.

"I want her to be happy too, which is why I'm not going to do anything." George was in shock. How could Oliver say such a thing? In a way, he was slightly relieved that he would be able to keep Corrine to himself and that his words had almost no effect on Oliver. However, at the same time, he didn't appreciate or respect the Oliver that he saw now, not that he was able to respect him as his captain. George opened his mouth to respond at the surprising statement but was interrupted abruptly. Her voice caused his entire body to jump up, knowing that he was talking about her behind her back.

"I'm ready George! Let's go outside! It's so nice outside!" Corrine came prancing down the stairs in her regular school robes, he hair back up into two neatly place pigtails at the top of her head. "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" George could see her cheeks turn a shade pinker than they usually were and sighed.

"No. We were just about finished. Let's go." Corrine returned to her bubbly state and grabbed George's open hand as they walked out of the Common room.

Oliver was left to contemplate his thoughts. He wasn't sure what to do though he was still in shock when George had encouraged him. Of all people, it was George. Oliver envied the fact that he was able to do that. George had the mind to basically hand Corrine over to him if it made her happier. Oliver could never do that, which was exactly why he refused to take her. George had the larger heart. He was kinder than he was and she deserved that. Besides, it gave Oliver time to think about Quidditch instead. It was, after all, his final year and his last chance to win the House Cup. He had never once been on a winning team. Last year's win did not count as it was not won through the Quidditch matches themselves but through house points gained as reward for saving the school. If he wanted the Cup this year, he would need new strategies. This also meant coordinating around Corrine's skills. His body stiffened at even the thought of her name. Frustrated with himself, he decided to go for a walk to clear his mind. As he had heard, the day was bright. Hopefully it will be able to brighten his mood as well.

Of course, his results were not pleasant. As he stepped out of the Common room, bringing a small notebook in which to document any Quidditch strategies that he might produce, he immediately noticed the abundance of couples that inhabited the walls. Though there were none sitting about the halls specifically, they certainly seemed very comfortable outside in the courtyard. The sun beat down but they all sat within the comforting shade of the large trees that had lived at the school longer than Dumbledore had. There were no obvious signs of public affection but the cuddling was enough to distract Oliver. He cursed and continued to search for a couple-free zone, hoping to work on his Quidditch strategies without the intrusion of Corrine entering his thoughts. Speeding past the ninth couple, he turned the corner exiting the courtyard and walked directly into another couple. A particular force on his chest pushed him back, pushing the opposing force as well. There was a small, light voice on impact and Oliver immediately knew who he bumped into. He was tempted to leave the scene without a word but something pulled at him to stay; other than the small tug on his sleeve from the tiny girl in front of him.

"Oh, Oliver!" the voice cried, shocked to have seen him in the halls. George had his arm wrapped casually around her thin waist, gripping her slightly as he saw Oliver's eyes grace over his hand.

"Hey Corrine. George." Oliver's head bobbed at each name, hoping to leave as quickly as possible. Corrine was still holding on to his sleeve, reluctant to let him leave just yet.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked desperately. She sounded very genuinely concerned for his health. It was possible that the incident in the showers had created a paranoid tendency within her. When he didn't respond immediately, she continued, staring straight up into his eyes. "George said you weren't feeling very well." Oliver glanced up at George knowingly, only slightly irritated by the excuse.

"I'm feeling much better now, thank you," he replied to Corrine, smiling down at her. She exhaled a large breath of relief and Oliver wondered how long she had been worried about him and why? He remembered what George had told him. Even if Corrine did like him better, she was still better off with George. He had to fill his time with Quidditch, not relationships.

"Oi! George! Where you been mate? Been searching for you everywhere!" It was George's counterpart, Fred. He slung his arm lazily atop his brother's shoulders and spoke only to him. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find you? If I didn't know any better Georgie, I would think you're trying to hide from me." Thick amounts of sarcasm dripped from his words and George was pulled away by his brother reluctantly, fully aware of the events that could unfold in his absence. The two stood awkwardly in silence. Neither was sure of their status, nor were they sure of their own thoughts. Oliver sighed at their inability to even communicate properly.

"Are you sure you'll alright?" Corrine asked again, interoperating his actions as those of pain. She had no idea.

"I'm fine, I promise." Oliver attempted a reassuring grin but he was almost certain it came out as a pained grimace. Corrine was clearly skeptical of his answer but decided to move forward in their conversation.

"Where were you headed?" She nodded her head towards the notebook that he held firmly in his hand. He had almost forgotten that he was headed anywhere. He had been so preoccupied in trying to manage a decent conversation that he only vaguely remembered any strategies he had planned on documenting.

"Going to do a bit of thinking was all. I was just about to give up anyway." He left the statement open, hoping she would suggest joining him.

"Oh. Thinking about what?" His bubble of hope burst. Perhaps she was denser than he thought she was. Though it was possible that she truly did not find his presence enjoyable and any more time spent with him would be intolerable. This was, of course, his worst-case scenario.

"Quidditch strategies actually. I was hoping to incorporate you and your skills into our team as best as I could. Believe or not, I've been winging it so far. Horrible really." He stopped his rambling mid way when he was interrupted by Corrine's small giggle. He was curious at how such a thing could cause her to laugh. He hardly found his lack of strategy amusing.

"Are you always thinking about Quidditch?" Oliver pretended to mull over the question before answering.

"Yes. Yes I do." She laughed again.

"Don't you ever think about anything else?" He hadn't noticed it, but they had begun walking into an unknown destination. Oliver had to seriously consider this question now. He hadn't often thought of other things, but recently he noticed that his mind tended to recklessly wander in the most impromptu of times.

"Well, of course I do. I think of classes, and of my friends."

"Did you think about the answer to my question?" Oliver stopped walking suddenly, his body turning rigid at the mention of the question. He had almost completely forgotten their conversation. In fact, he had almost been certain it was a dream; a very unpleasant dream. He attempted to act dumb, praying that there was another question she was referring to.

"What question is that?" Huffing, she stood in hard stance in front of him.

"You know exactly what question I'm talking about. Stop trying to avoid the question and just tell me already. Like I said before, I may be blissful but I am certainly not ignorant." Oliver was only slightly shocked that she knew exactly what he was trying to do. Running his hand through his hair, he seriously thought of how he was going to word his answer.

"It's not that I don't like George. He's a great bloke. To be honest, I don't know why I said what I had." Oliver hoped he could dismiss the topic as a moment of stupidity. "I said it mostly out of spite really." Corrine wasn't convinced with his excuse. Frustrated, he decided to go for a different approach. "I was upset that you seemed to value George's opinion more than mine." This seemed to catch her attention.

"What are you talking about? Oliver I trust you so much. Sometimes more than I do George. But George is my boyfriend, of course I would pay more attention to him. Oliver I will never value anyone's opinion more than I do yours. You were the first person I met and my first friend and that will never change." Oliver nearly drove his head into the nearest wall at her words but refrained from it in her presence. She really was ignorant, even if she didn't believe it. "I should go check on George. He didn't exactly seem too happy being dragged away like that." Oliver didn't respond. "Oh, by the way, I know that wasn't everything, but I'm glad you told something. I'm glad you trust me as much as I trust you."

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading the chapter. A special ****thanks to americanathogwarts and an anon named X for the reviews. I really do appreciate them. I really did try to elaborate on George and Corrine's depth here. I really enjoyed writing this actually but it had to be one of the most difficult one's I've written so far. I hope you all liked it! **

**-Sydney**


	6. Thinking of Home

Corrine was failing her classes. Oliver had heard Fred and George talking about it after practice. Oliver had actually expected the outcome. Corrine's mind had been less present than usual lately and she had a tendency to fall into long silences. No one had expected her to be able to pass the year with flying colors. She was as capable as a first year in terms of magic and had been placed in a seventh year program. It was just impossible for anyone of that level of learning to complete a seventh year's requirements. Knowing that her change in moods would greatly affect her Quidditch skills, he vowed to confront her about the topic. There was no other reason he wanted to talk to her privately. None at all.

She was in the library, talking to Ms. Pince about any extra texts she could indulge herself in. Most likely to study. In Oliver's eyes, Corrine had never been one to study, so the topic of her failure must have really hit home with her. Before he could call out to her, she scurried off, deeper into the shelves of the library after thanking Ms. Pince. She had buried herself in piles of books in a matter of seconds. She seemed more preoccupied than Hermione usually did. Oliver wondered if he should have brought Alicia or Angelina with him to calm her before he approached her but it was too late for that now.

"Corrine?" he whispered. Her head shot out of her book and she turned to find the source of the voice. Oliver admired the way her hair swung around, bobbing around her round face, emphasizing her large eyes.

"Oh! Oliver, what are you doing here?" He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to begin.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, could you make it quick? I'm a bit busy right now." An awkward silence befell them as she hurried to begin her text once more.

"You know you can't graduate right?" Oliver noticed her body tensing but she made no other movement to contradict him. "Nobody expects you to graduate Corrine. You've never practiced magic before this year. How could anyone expect that from you?" Without turning to look at him, she spoke.

"_I _did Oliver. I expected that, if I just studied and practiced enough, I would graduate with the rest of our year." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and she placed her book down. Bringing her head into her arms, she cried softly. Oliver didn't know how to act. He was never good at consoling others, specifically consoling girls. Instead, he allowed her to simply cry her emotions out. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, knowing that he would have nowhere to go for the following hour at the least. She seemed so distressed and frustrated with herself, it was a wonder why she hadn't ended up in Ravenclaw. "You're right," she finally said, sobering up. "How was I supposed to complete this year if I've never done any other? It would have taken a miracle…" Her voice trailed off and Oliver could tell she would have wished for that miracle if she could. Her head flopped back onto the desk, defeated.

"Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?" Oliver asked carefully. Without moving the location of her head, she shook it, indicating that there was more on her mind.

"It's my dad." Oliver braced himself. Corrine had never spoken of her family before and the fact that she was so upset about the topic couldn't have been good. Finally rising, she reached into her robes and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. This parchment was completely white and seemed to be very thin. An odd thing to find in the Wizarding World. As she unfolded it, Oliver further observed that it was perfectly rectangular. He was tempted to ask her about the parchment but found that an irrelevant focus would upset her further. He almost expected her to recite the letter to him but instead, she thrust the note into his hands. It read:

_Dear Corrine, _

_Even as you are now attending your magical school, I want you home for the Christmas break. As little interaction with that kind is best. You know my distaste for your company. I will be at King's Cross Station when you are out. Do not disappoint me Corrine. I will expect you to be there at noon. _

_Your father_

The letter was short and very direct. If one thing was certain, Corrine's father was a no-nonsense type person. It only slightly terrified Oliver that this was the type of person that Corrine had been forced to live with for many years; this was the man that had raised her. It was very clear that he despised wizard kind and Oliver wondered what her mother would be like, if he would ever have the chance of meeting her. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of the outrageous possibilities, he returned his attention to the scared girl in front of him. He wanted to know what was going on. Without even speaking, he could tell she didn't want to leave.

"Maybe you shouldn't go," he suggested.

"I have to."

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do. You don't understand Oliver. You just can't understand."

"Then help me understand Corrine! I want to know." Suddenly, a figure appeared from around the corner.

"Sh!" Ms. Pince hushed, "If you two wish to speak, then I ask you to leave the library and continue your conversation elsewhere." Heading her advice, Corrine shot out of her seat. They could have easily had their conversation in whispered tones, but Oliver wondered if she merely wanted a bit more privacy. The topic seemed to disturb her slightly. Walking quickly, she led him out into the courtyard of the school. The night was still young but the sky had darkened dramatically, making it almost impossible to make out any expression that could have been on either of their faces.

"I want to go back Oliver. I don't know why, but I do." Her first statement was so blunt that Oliver almost didn't know how to respond.

"Why? Why don't you know?"

"He's my father. I love him. I can't help but care him." He understood that much.

"Then why so reluctant?" Oliver was still very befuddled. She wanted to go but she didn't? She took a long and deep breath before starting anew.

"My mother died when I was younger. Well before I knew I was a witch. My dad kind of felt like he was abandoned I guess, so he never spoke of her. For a really long time, I didn't know what to do. He was upset a lot and anytime I had asked him where my mother was, he would… well he would get angrier."

"He hit you, didn't he," he said, clenching his teeth and fists. He was glad that the darkness hid him. He didn't want her to be tainted further by his wanting acts of violence. The statement sounded more like an accusation than it did a question. Corrine nodded solemnly. Without another word on the topic, she pressed forward with her story.

"Of course, I ultimately found out that I was a witch. The powers came naturally. At first, I didn't know what to do with them. But eventually, I found some old spell books in my mother's dressers. Father had yet to clean out her things, even after twelve years. Everything had been left exactly as she had left it. In fact, he never even slept in the room. Nothing had been changed or touched. I was the first to enter it in years. I remember it so clearly. There was dust over the covers and every counter. The vanity mirror was foggy from it and I could barely walk the floor without dust rising to cloud my vision. It was her bedside table that I found the textbooks in. They looked older than the room itself. I was curious and of course I read them, though I didn't dare remove them from the room. Instead, I snuck in every night after my father had gone to sleep. They had spells in them Oliver, charms and how to cast them. I didn't have a wand so I made do with whatever I could. I later found that, even though I had little control over them, I could recite spells and make them do exactly what I had intended. Wingardium Leviosa was the first one in the book. I remember that much. It really got to me since it took my months to figure out what I was doing wrong. It was the pronunciation, could you believe that?" She scoffed. Oliver made no move to laugh so she continued. "I never told my father. But one day he found me. Apparently he visits the room once in a while for the nostalgia. Who would have thought he still cared?" She chuckled; a laugh that had no humor. "Well, of course I got into a huge amount of trouble. This was when I was about thirteen mind you. He didn't let me go anywhere after that. Told me that I was too dangerous. But I knew better. He was ashamed of me and angry that I was one of you. He never used to hate witches. I vaguely remember my mother cleaning the house with magic in plain view of him. It was definitely after she had left. Then, McGonagall came. She told him everything. About Hogwarts and the Wizarding world. He said he already knew. He said to take me. He didn't want me anymore. It was too much work having me around since I always tried to escape." Silence. "Oliver, I don't want to go back," she whispered.

"But I thought you said –."

"I know what said. He's my father. I have to go back. But I don't know if I can. I love him unconditionally. I really do. But, I just remember things." He could hear the sounds of a light sob enter her voice within the last few sentences. His eyes having now adjusted to the darkness, he reached out to her figure and pulled her towards him. She made no protest in his embrace and grabbed frantically at the front of his robes, clutching them to her chest as if they were holding her together. They stood like that for a long while and eventually, Oliver lost count of the minutes. He wanted desperately to protect her as best he could. Somewhere in his heart, he knew that she hadn't told George a thing. She hadn't told anyone. For that, he felt a small sense of pride. Immediately, he felt guilty for feeling pride at such a time and removed the thought from his mind. He could feel the wetness from her tears begin to stain through the shirt of his robe and held her tighter to his chest. Daringly, he leaned his head atop of hers and wrapped his other arm around her as well, embracing her fully. "I don't know what to do any more Oliver," she muttered, tears still fogging her speech.

"I'll go wait with you. I'm going home for the Christmas break as well. I'll tell my parents not to pick me up. I'll wait with you until your father comes. Would that make you feel better? Would that help?" he whispered into her hair. Slowly, she nodded her head, making sure not to bash into Oliver's nose.

"Please wait with me. Please."

"I will. I promised to keep you safe, and I will."

"Are you nervous?" Oliver whispered.

"Only very," Corrine responded in the same hushed tones. The two of them were waiting in the Common room for Katie, Alicia and Angelina. All five of them were headed home this Christmas. Corrine was fidgeting compulsively, searching the room ever few seconds.

"Looking for George?" Oliver guessed.

"Of course! Tsk. I'll be gone for an entire week and he doesn't show up to say good-bye to me. I mean, anything can happen in a week. And for all he knows this could be the last time he would ever see me."

"Is that how you think? That every second is life and death? That isn't exactly a positive thing to live by."

"But it's a true thing to live by. It's realistic. I mean, isn't it possible that I may not return this break? Let's not even consider the possibility of death as you saw. What if my father kept me there? Locked up in my basement. Or if he simply banned me from every coming back to the school or writing letters. I would be put back in my old lifestyle and never speak to any of you again. Anything can happen! And he has the nerve not to show up!"

Oliver noticed she was rambling. She only rambled when she got nervous.

"He'll be here I'm sure."

"Well, he better be." Just by looking at her, Oliver could see how tense her small body had become. Every angle was rigid and she could barely relax her shoulders. Corrine had worked extra hard this morning, making sure everything was prepared properly for her father. She had even gone through the trouble of making sure her hairstyle was appropriate for her age. It didn't suit her at all. Her bangs had been pushed aside from her face and were being held back by a couple of black bobby pins. Nothing else had been done to it. The look was neat and orderly and very misplaced. Oliver was tempted to reach out and muss it up but refrained from it, knowing very well that it would upset her. The girls finally descended the stairs, their trunks nearly bursting with their belongings. Giving up on finding George, Corrine left with group, thought Oliver was certain he would hear more about it later. After that night, she had confided in his more. It was never bad; Oliver was thoroughly interested in her life. She had a very interesting lifestyle and she taught him all about the muggle world. Corrine rarely brought up the topic of her family however, though it was always something he could recognize in her body language. If she ever even thought about her father, he knew.

"Here's an empty compartment. Come on, before anyone else takes it." Angeline slid the door open and hurried into the small space. Oliver hadn't even noticed that they had boarded. Corrine wasn't as perky this morning as she usually was and didn't seem to notice her surroundings either. Alicia, Angelina and Katie all sat on one side of the compartment while Oliver and Corrine sat on the other. Corrine immediately busied herself by fiddling with the hems of her sleeves, tearing out the stitches. Oliver rolled his eyes and grabbed at her left hand. He was thankful that the three girls in front of them were too preoccupied by the affair between Lee Jordan and Alicia Spinnet to notice his somewhat affection display. He was sure that if they had seen, George would have been notified immediately. He held onto her hand, stopping her from destroying her sleeves, and brought it up to his lips, giving it a light kiss and muttering into her hand.

"Stop worrying. Everything is going to be just fine." Putting her hand back into her lap, he noticed her reddened cheeks and he could have sworn that the sight caused him to flush as well. As the ride continued, he slowly prepared himself for the confrontation that would follow the train ride shortly. He had to prepare himself to protect Corrine.

**Author's Note: Hello readers! Thank you so much for reading the chapter. I'm glad that you're all still with me. Finally, a sneak peek into Corrine's life and past. Hope you liked it. Special thanks to americanathogwarts for reviewing the last chapter. I actually began to notice that Corrine had no real friends so I tried to incorporate the three chasers on the Quidditch team into the chapter. She does have friends mind you, I just can't seem to include them. I'll have a bit more information about that in later chapters. By the way, I wrote this all in one day. I feel quite proud of that. Until the next chapter,**

**-Sydney**


	7. Change of Heart

She had fallen asleep half way through the train ride. For some reason, Oliver had figured that she hadn't slept the night before through worry. Somewhere along the ride, her head had found its way onto his right shoulder. He never felt the need to move her and the girls clearly found the action to be very innocent. Oliver knew better. His only complaint was that she wasn't doing this consciously; that and his right shoulder had begun to go numb. He could see the relationship between her and George slowly start to deteriorate and he knew that George could see it to.

"We're here!" Alicia cried as the train halted to a stop. Oliver turned slightly and shook his shoulder up, feeling a tingling sensation as the blood circulated through it again. Corrine's head was pushed slightly and she woke, jerking upwards to hit Oliver squarely in the jaw.

"Ow!" Oliver said, only reacting to how sudden the pain had come, not necessarily the severity of the pain.

"Oh! Sorry Oliver!" Corrine cried out. Her immediate reaction was to bring her hands up to his jaw. Apparently, according to her, holding onto the wounded area helped to lessen the pain. Something about the action made Oliver's heart jump. Corrine had looked genuinely concerned for him and the thought of it made him ecstatic, not that he showed it.

"It's fine. Really, it barely hurt." Cautiously nodding, she took her time gathering her things before leaving the compartment. She was clearly stalling.

"Has anyone seen my jacket?" she asked aloud, her tone strangely forced. Oliver rolled his eyes, amused at how dramatic she was being.

"I've got it," he replied, picking the jumper from off the opposite seat. All four chasers had assembled just outside the compartment doors for their parting tears. It was beyond Oliver as to why tears were really necessary as they would only be apart for a week, if not less. Then, he remembered what Corrine had said when George had not arrived to bid her adieu and decided to make the best of their goodbyes. He didn't want to take the risk. For all he knew, he may not ever see anyone again. That and he didn't want Corrine to assume that he too, did not find goodbyes important. Once they had stepped off the train, trolleys before them and friends gone off in their own directions, Oliver turned to Corrine. "Are you ready?"

"No," she replied but boldly took a step forward. Together, they pushed their way through the barrier and back into the muggle world, right between platforms nine and ten.

"Did he say where he'd be?" Oliver asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine. You read the letter too."

"Right. Standing in the middle of the outside of the station it is."

The muggle world was admittedly bizarre. The station was generally very similar. The people, on the other hand, were off hand. Although Oliver was used to muggle clothing, it still looked strange to him. They looked nothing like Corrine did, even if they were covered from head to toe in large jumpers.

They had been there for hours. Corrine had found a small bench in which to seat themselves. Her father made no mention of a location or time that they were to meet. She didn't speak for a very long time but fidgeted constantly.

"The seam of your sleeve is going to break at the rate you're going," Oliver whispered into her ear.

"Oh! I hadn't even realized…" she muttered. Singing, she stopped and looked to the ground. "He's not coming." Oliver couldn't even respond. He gave up hope that her father would come to get her a couple of hours ago. Checking the large clock at the station, he noticed that it had been five hours since they had arrived. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and hugged her towards him. She really seemed to need a hug. Refusing to cry, she sulked. "What do I do Oliver? I've come all this way and I don't have anywhere to go."

"Yes you do," Oliver decided, "You're coming home with me." A bright blush formed on Corrine's cheeks and Oliver blessed them.

"Seriously? _Your _home?" she said incredulously. The reality of what Oliver had said hit him and he became flustered quickly.

"I mean, you could spend Christmas with my family and I. They'd be happy to have you."

"Oh! You're parents! I completely forgot! They must be wondering where you are." Oliver chuckled at the sound of her worries.

"I sent them an owl days ago, telling them not to wait up for me. Just in case we had to wait for a while."

"Oh."

"Come on, let's get going. They may be my parents, but they won't wait forever."

"I really hate apparating. Let's never do that again okay? Okay." Corrine was on the floor, holding onto her head in hopes that it would stop spinning. She had created a crater in the snow and somehow managed to cover herself in it already. Oliver laughed and offered her a hand. Grabbing hold of it, she was hoisted up in a swift motion. "Oh God, I think I'm going to throw up," she mumbled. He forced an arm around his shoulders and held most of her weight as she walked.

"We're almost there." The house was only half a mile ahead. He quickly turned to face the luggage. "_Locomotor trunks!_" he whispered under his breath. Almost immediately, their trunks hoisted themselves into air, following them slowly. He could barely make out the light brown slated roof. "Alright now, only a little further." When they finally reached the home, both of Oliver's parents were out clearing snow from the pathway. The still air made their jobs easier and more comfortable. "Mum! Dad!" His parents responded immediately, shooting up from their tasks.

"Oliver!" the male cried out. He was waving his hand largely to ensure that his son see it. Oliver was still partly dragging Corrine. She was almost a light shade of green before they had even made it to the front door. "Is this your friend you were supposed to be waiting with?"

"She doesn't look well. What happened?" his mother added.

"Yea, her father didn't come to pick her up. We apparated over. It was exactly a pleasant experience for her," Oliver replied hurriedly, attempting to express the urgency of the situation. He preferred that his parents' first impression of her not be of her regurgitating her lunch onto the newly planted violets. Getting part of the message, his father rushed to Corrine's other side and his mother to the door. There were moments when she threatened to vomit but never had the chance as she was given remedies right away.

"Feeling better?" Oliver asked. Corrine nodded as his mother dabbed at the sweat that had formed on her brow.

"Much. Thank you Mrs. Wood." Oliver's mother smiled at the respect that she was given.

"You are very welcome… ah?" She was searching for a name and it was at the moment that Oliver realized that he had yet to have acquainted Corrine with his parents.

"Sorry! Mum, Dad, this is Corrine McMichael. Corrine, these are my parents." He gestured between the three of them, handing out introductions.

"Pleasure," Mrs. Wood said, taking hold of Corrine's hand. Having never been given such a polite gesture, Corrine smiled. Oliver was glad that the three of them were getting along famously without question. He had hoped that his parents approve of Corrine, even if she wasn't technically his girlfriend. Not yet anyways.

"So sorry that you had to spend your Christmas with us," Mr. Wood added, handing her a cup of hot cocoa. She accepted the cup, holding it close to her chest.

"No, no, I'm honored to be here. We don't really celebrate Christmas back… home." Thankfully, his parents knew better than to pry about her father and his negligence of her.

"Oliver, why do you show her to the guest room?" Oliver had already begun to grab Corrine's trunk when she cut in.

"Actually, I don't think I'm up to move just yet." Oliver couldn't understand exactly why however. She seemed to be in perfect condition to walk again. She had dried off and was completely coherent.

"Are you sure love? Do you need to lie down?" Mrs. Wood seemed to be genuinely worried for Corrine. As normal as this was to Oliver, Corrine appeared to be cherishing his mother's kindness and hospitality.

"No, I'm fine right here," she was grinning quite largely for a person in her state. "Thank you," she added as an afterthought.

"You are very welcome Corrine. Mr. Wood and I will be stepping out for a while. Some last minute Christmas shopping if you will. Please, make yourself at home." The two adults grabbed the coats and reentered the frosty air outside, leaving Oliver to tend to Corrine himself. He turned to check back at her after waving his parents goodbye. She sat quietly on the couch, sipping her hot cocoa every so often. She was smiling to herself and he wondered what she could have been thinking of.

"I like your family. It's lovely," she whispered. Oliver rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Yea you like them now. Wait until they smother you." Silence. "They really seem to like you too." Oliver walked over and took a seat next to her, rewrapping the blanket his mother had provided her, giving him the chance to put his arms around her.

"I've never had people care about me like that. It must be so nice to have them as your parents," she muttered, holding onto Oliver's arms and wrapping herself over again. Oliver remembered how Corrine spoke of her own father earlier that week. She looked at him innocently, her face only inches away from his. "I wouldn't mind if they smothered me." Oliver chuckled and moved back slightly, letting go of her body.

"You will after a while. It does get rather bothersome." He took note on how close they were to breaking a few boundary lines. He may have liked Corrine more than he could know, but he was George's friend first. Besides, it hadn't seemed as if she knew what she was doing. She said she wasn't ignorant and repeated it countless times, but in the matters of love and courting, she knew almost nothing. It amused him to think about it and he smiled.

"I don't think so," she replied as she snuggled herself deeper into the blanket. "You know, this'll be my very first Christmas."

"What?" Oliver replied incredulously.

"Yup! I'm really excited." She had returned to her bubbly self. All traces of the solemn Corrine had vanished and Oliver wondered yet again what had happened. It never failed to confuse him when she switched so suddenly.

"That's it. I am going to make sure this is the best Christmas ever!" Oliver decided.

"But Oliver –," Corrine said.

"No. I'm very determined to give you the best Christmas you've ever had." Giving in, Corrine smiled warmly. She rose and gave Oliver a hug. He was shocked at her forward act and scolded himself for having the thoughts he had. No matter how many times she hugged him, he would never get used to it. Pulling back, her smile grew.

"I can't wait Oliver!"

Shopping in Diagon Ally was always fairly horrid during the Christmas season, though Corrine seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. She had insisted on buying a gift for Oliver, even if he hadn't wanted it. She felt as if it was the least she could do after everything he had done for her. It was so like her to assume he did all those things purely from the kindness of his heart. He nearly scoffed at the thought. He was selfish and he knew it. His parents were strolling along directly behind them. Oliver had to remember to thank them for purposely leaving them alone the night before. He now had a week to turn this Christmas into the best she ever had, and he had no idea how to do it.

"Oh! Let's go in there!" Corrine called out ahead of him. She was pointing at Zonko's Joke Shop and Oliver wasn't surprised. He allowed his brain to mindlessly wander off as she searched the shelves for a gift. Aware that he should have been concerned that this was where his gift was coming from, he tuned back into the real world at a few points in time.

"Well Oliver, finally found yourself a Keeper." Mr. Wood snuck up on his son and Oliver jerked at the touch of his father's hand on his shoulder. "Though I thought you were the keeper, why'd you need a new one?"

"Very funny Dad," Oliver remarked, rolling his eyes. His gaze had landed on Corrine's excited state as she continued to scour the shop with the assistance of her mother.

"No, but I'm serious. I'm surprised you've actually brought home a girl. You never were one for a relationship, flirting around with the neighbors and such." Oliver gave his father a flabbergasted glare. "What? You don't think I notice these things? I'm your father Oliver. I see everything." Oliver was unsure of what to say. The statement made him nervous. "So why the change of heart?" Shocked at the question, there was another moment of silence; one that Oliver spent truly thinking about the answer.

"I don't know. But I want to protect her. I want to make her happy, even if I can't." Mr. Wood smiled smugly. He didn't want to say what Oliver didn't know out loud. There were just some things that the boy had to find out on his own.

"That's very mature of your son. You've grown up," Oliver's father said, patting his son on the back. Oliver's eyes still never left the sight of Corrine and he only averted his gaze for a second to glance at his father in surprise. "But what do you mean 'even if I can't'?" Oliver knew it would hurt more to say it aloud than thinking about it. Saying it would make it more real.

"It means that even if it means leaving her with someone else, I'll do it."

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading the chapter and sorry it took a little while to post. I know no one really reads these notes so I'll keep it short. Thank you to americanathogwarts again for reviewing. I'd love to hear from everyone else a bit more. Please and thank you!**

**Until the next chapter,**

**Sydney**

**P.S. Sorry it's my shortest chapter so far. I'll try to keep up with the pace I've set.**


	8. Sentimental Gift

"Oliver! Is she not absolutely darling?" Mrs. Wood asked, gushing over Corrine. His mother had always wanted a daughter, and having Corrine around gave her the opportunity to dress the poor girl up. She finally had a cute little daughter. At the word 'daughter' a whole realm of possibilities entered his mind. Maybe making Corrine his mother's daughter wouldn't be so bad. "Oliver? Love?" Mrs. Wood was waving her hand frantically in front of Oliver's face. He hadn't even noticed that he had become lost in thought. He looked over at his mother, his expression searching for a good excuse for his absence. "Does she not look absolutely darling?" his mother prompted. His gaze fell onto Corrine and he finally noticed what his mother had done. Corrine had been dressed up in a small, brightly colored dress and covered in bows that held up her short hair. She looked rather uncomfortable and Oliver admitted mentally to wanting to take a photo of the moment.

"Yea," he muttered in response. Corrine's cheeks became redder at his opinion and she shied back into the bedroom from which she had exited from. Mrs. Wood scurried after her, making sure that she didn't remove the dress. Oliver wondered why his mother had put her into a dress, considering the freezing conditions outside. His mother called him from inside the room.

"Oliver! You need to take Corrine back out to Diagon Alley. She still needs to get a few things!"

"Alright Mum." He already began to gather his jacket as he replied. Though he had a feeling that it would take the two women to be ready, he wanted to prepare now rather than later. To be honest, he was quite excited to go back to Diagon Alley with Corrine. It gave them another opportunity to be alone together.

"Okay I'm ready! Let's go." Oliver jumped at the sound of her voice and noticed that he had been in another daze. They stepped into the fireplace with the Floo powder and were off in seconds. "Alright, well that isn't my favorite method of transportation but it's better than bloody apparating," Corrine coughed, wiping the soot off her clothes and hair. Today, she had left her hair alone, not even bothering to brush it as it stuck out in every direction. She was wearing a little costume his mother had picked out for her though it was more appropriate for public eyes than the last one had been. Even still, she was adorable. He laughed at her comment.

"So where to love?"

"Love?" she asked. "You've never called me 'love' before." She was clearly very amused by his pet name. "I don't know. Anywhere I suppose. I haven't a clue as to what I'm looking for."

"In that case, do you mind if I stop by Quality Quiddtich Supplies? I need a few things for my broom. It's so shabby I need to take care of it if I plan on ever using it again." At that, the two of them laughed and he was glad he made a joke out of his poor broom.

"Only if you take me by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor later. I've been dying for one," she called back, skipping ahead again.

"You do realize it's mid-winter and freezing cold out right?"

"Your point?" She stopped and turned to look at him with her large brown eyes. "I love ice cream." Oliver was caught off guard and pulled his hand up to his face to cover up the darker red on his face, not that she would have noticed since the air had already frozen his cheeks.

"Well, in that case, sure." They entered one of Oliver's favorite shops (for obvious reasons) and he looked about for Tail-Twig Clippers. Corrine had gone off to wander at her own accord, no doubt searching for his Christmas present. That reminded him that he hadn't gotten one for her either. He didn't want to get her anything from this particular shop, so he hurried to find his Tail-Twig Clippers and after paying, he hurried her out of the shop.

"Ice cream time now?" she asked. As soon as Oliver nodded, she exploded into a small ball of happiness and excitement, causing him to laugh out. He got a Chocolate Frog Chocolate cone while Corrine vouched for a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans Ice Cream.

"How can you stand to eat that?" Oliver asked, jokingly. "Some parts taste disgusting. You could end up with a bogie flavored section you know." Corrine laughed. The scoop was an assortment of colors, ranging from everything you could hope to find in a large package of crayons.

"It was the most colorful one there. I've never tried Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans before really," Corrine replied, distracted by her ice cream. She cringed at a foul taste and smiled whenever she had a pleasant one. She was so easy to read.

"You've never had one ever? How have you never had them?"

"Hey! Give me a break here; I've only just transferred to Hogwarts this year. It's not as if I knew they existed before coming here." Her tone was annoyed but her expression was amused. This gave Oliver an idea.

"What else have you never had? We could go over to Honeydukes and look at it."

"But I don't have much money."

"Then we don't have to buy anything. You already have your ice cream."

"But, I can't just walk into a candy shop and not have candy."

"I'll buy you one thing."

"Ok!" With that, she rushed off towards the sweets shop, leaving Oliver in the dust.

By the end of the trip, Oliver had somehow managed to buy a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, a couple of Sugar Quills, a Peppermint Toad, a pack of Fizzing Whizzbees and a handful of Chocolate Frogs, without her seeing it. It helped when she got her way and had him buy her a Licorice Wand. Once returning home, Corrine was immediately jumped by his mother, who already had another costume for her to be outfitted into. Quickly, he ran up to his bedroom and threw his gifts to her under his bed before heading back downstairs in time to hear his mother squeal in excitement.

"Oh Corrine it looks absolutely wonderful! Gorgeous!" she cried pulling Corrine out from the bedroom she had changed in.

"What looks gorgeous Mum?" Oliver asked, curious to see the outrageous attire his mother had picked. Corrine nearly fell out of the room, tripping over a pair or high heeled shoes she was no wearing. Though, that was the last thing that Oliver was paying attention to. She was dressed in an evening gown, which was the last thing he would have thought his mother would give her. The gown was white in color and had a low v-neck that he admittedly couldn't stand to look away from. There were ruffles and frills that fell down from the tip of the v and down to her stomach. The rest of her dress fell at her feet with a train in the back.

"Oh sweetie, you look like a beautiful bride!" his mother gushed. Corrine blushed quite noticeably and Oliver was at a loss for words. "What do you think Oliver?" Why did his mother always have to know what he thought of it? Corrine was still fidgeting with her fingers, showing the discomfort that Oliver was feeling for the situation. He could tell she wanted to know his opinion as well, but wasn't about to vocalize her opinion on the matter.

"You're right Mum, beautiful." Oliver was too busy watching Corrine's reaction to his words to hear his mother squealing in excitement like a little school girl. Corrine was in complete shock as she slowly looked up at Oliver, her cheeks and ears red from her blush. She made no hurry to change from the dress and with that, Oliver's mother insisted on taking photos.

"So, what did you get George?" Oliver asked soon after Mrs. Wood had relinquished Corrine to go to prepare dinner. They were two days away from Christmas and three days away from returning to Hogwarts.

"Something that would last him a life time," she replied, pulling out an already wrapped box. "It's an Omniocular. It's been used since they're so expensive. I couldn't afford a brand new one. They're pretty amazing. Oh, and bought him a few of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heart Fireworks from Gambol and Jape's Wizarding Joke Shop."

"The one by Ollivanders?"

"That's the one! Do you think he'll like it? It's doesn't exactly have any sentimental value but I really thought he would like it."

"It's fine," Oliver reassured her. He honestly didn't think the gift would matter to George. He didn't need a gift, he already had Corrine and that should have been a gift in itself. "So, what did you get me?" Corrine smiled mischievously. "You'll have to wait because I'm not telling!" She rose from the floor to slip the present back under her bed and returned next to him. He decided to switch the topic back to George. "So, why the Omnioculars? I mean, I understand the fireworks, he'll get a kick out of those, but why the Omnioculars?"

"I don't know. I was looking around desperately for something he may have liked that felt a little more permanent. Something that he could keep and use and never have to worry about throwing out. Even if it does break, he could still keep it. I got the fireworks first. I knew he would love them, but I realized that he would use them once and never see them again. There's no value to that. At least there's value to the Omnioculars. He could use them all the time. Plus, I think they're pretty amazing. Isn't it something that people want? I don't know."

"Wow, and here I thought you wanted him to have it so he could peep at you whenever he felt like and replay it for himself," Oliver said, mocking that he had broken a sweat.

"Well, there's that too," Corrine added, attempting to be completely serious about the situation. "He can stop asking and just get a peep himself. Makes my life a little easier too. Want a pair?"

"Definitely." The two of them sat and smiled at each other in what seemed to be a short and happy silence. It had been a while since they teased each other like that and even if George was indirectly part of the conversation, he didn't mind. "So why is it that the whole 'sentimental value' thing means so much to you?"

"I have no idea. I just like being able to remember it for a long time. It's important for me to have something. I don't have much you know? So everything that has a memory is special." Oliver cursed inwardly. His gift had no such value. She would devour all of it in minutes if she had her way. He needed something small. He had already blown all of his money on the sweets from Honeydukes so something small would be all he would be able to afford. He was surprised he hadn't thought of this before, knowing her past. She had said that she never really celebrated Christmas, why would she have celebrated anything else? She had almost no holiday memories. Of course she would have wanted something to remember the holidays by. "Oh, by the way, what did you get for Katie, Angelina, Alicia and Fred? I know they probably didn't get me anything but I wanted to buy small things for them too. I have a feeling that once I'm through with this, I'll be flat broke," she joked, laughing at how helpless she felt. Oliver needed to get out quickly before the shops closed to buy her another gift. If he didn't start now, who knows how long it would take to choose something sentimental? As if on cue, Mrs. Wood called them both down for supper. His mother would understand if he slipped out for a bit with good reason. Wouldn't she?

Mrs. Wood didn't understand. There was no reason good enough to miss dinner with the family apparently, so Oliver was forced to wait for the following morning, while Corrine still slept, to head down to Diagon Alley. He was eternally grateful that the Alley was only a half hour walk from his home in Scotland. The first shop he headed to was Madam Malkin's. Girls liked clothes right? Oliver had no idea what to do. He didn't understand clothing, let alone which Corrine would like. Finally, he found himself staring off at clips for hair. He figured, if he got her something for her hair, she could always wear it, since she usually does things with her hair anyways. At last, something caught his eye. It was a set of hair clips. There were three of them: one in the shape of a broom, the next in the shape of a Quaffle and the last one shaped like a Snitch. It was cheep too. This was what he would get her. Something they both enjoyed.

On Christmas Eve, Corrine ate dinner with the entire Wood family. This included all of Oliver's aunts, uncles and cousins. There weren't many to begin with but there was enough to fill the house. Oliver had and aunt and two uncles from his mum's side of the family and two aunts from his dad's side. There were at least five young kids scampering about and only two of them seemed to be tweens of about 11 and 12. They seemed to be very welcoming of Corrine and several of them assumed that she was Oliver's girlfriend. Of course the misconception was clarified very quickly by Corrine. After dinner, the family sat in the living room, chatting and playing before midnight. They didn't want to open their presents until the day of. The children were given an extra amount of sugar to stay awake for the occasion. Corrine stuck with Oliver for most of the night though had an excellent time playing with the children. A girl named Emily had a particular interest in her. Emily was quiet and was the daughter of one of Oliver's uncles. She was only five years old though she had a very curious mind. Every time she opened her mouth, it was to utter a single statement or ask a question. Corrine's first encounter with her was as soon as she walked through the door. Emily march directly at Corrine and tugged at the sleeve of Oliver's baggy sweater (it was cold you see, and Corrine hadn't brought the best clothes for the weather).

"You're pretty," was all she said. Her voice was mousy and timid but her intonation and message was clear. Corrine smiled at the girl and crouched down to her level and thanked her kindly. Emily didn't leave her side for the rest of the night. Every hour, she insisted at saying the same thing to anyone who would care to hear it. "Corrine's pretty." In the last hour of the night, as she sat on Corrine's lap, she pulled at her Cousin Oliver's arm and said, "Oliver, how come you and Corrine aren't boyfriend and girlfriend?" Oliver turned a bright shade of red that matched the color of the sweater he was wearing. He didn't get the chance to answer before Corrine did.

"I already have a boyfriend Emily. His name is George. He's not hear right now."

"Then why aren't you at his house? Won't he be sad if you're here and not with him?" Corrine and Oliver sat silently, dumbstruck by what the child had just said. The thought had yet to cross her mind. Emily didn't press the subject any further when she noticed that neither of the adults sitting with her responded. That girl was simply too smart for her age.

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading. No shout outs this chapter since no one reviewed . I'm sorry it took so long to update this chapter everyone but school's been very hectic. I'm also sorry that not much happens in this chapter. I will hopefully get to more romantic scenes between Corrine and Oliver very soon!**

**Also, I just love seeing e-mails and notifications from this site so hopefully you can continue to make that happen. Really pushes me to write and reminds me that people do want to hear for me. I'll try to get another chapter up soon! Until then,**

**-Sydney**


	9. Emily's Observations

"Oliver I feel horrible! I haven't sent a single owl to George." Corrine was in a complete frantic after the two of them had left the crowded room for the kitchen.

"I'm sure he just thinks you don't have access to an owl. He wouldn't be too distressed."

"That's not the point Oliver! I should be at the Burrow. Not here. With you." Her voice trailed off. There was a pang of pain in Oliver's chest and he wasn't sure what to feel. He was angry, sad and hurt all at the same time. However, he was also smug. He had Corrine and George didn't. He felt as if he had been placed higher on a scale of importance in Corrine's life. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound that way." Oliver must have look very hurt because she immediately began to panic again. "It's just that, George is my boyfriend. Emily was right. I should be with him. Oh, what is he going to think?" She began ranting off to herself at that point. He wanted to say that she could have hid it from him, but looking at the state she was I now for even the slightest sound of infidelity, he wasn't sure it would have been the best suggestion.

"I'm sure he'll understand. It's not like you had much of an option but to stay here. And you can say that my mother's been all over you since you got here. It wouldn't be lying."

"But it wouldn't be the whole truth either! Oh gosh… I'm going to write him a letter right now." She began to walk off towards the staircase when Oliver reached out and grabbed her arm.

"You can't go now," he insisted.

"Why not?" The grandfather clock chimed loudly in the living room and a loud cheering was heard from the younger children.

"Happy Christmas Corrine." She blushed fiercely as she looked at Oliver's serene expression. She had never noticed how caring his eyes were. Or rather, become. She may not have noticed it, but Oliver nearly chuckled at her expression. She was gaping. Was it that surprising that he could be charming? It shouldn't have been, given his reputation.

"Uh, Happy Christmas to you too Oliver." Her cheeks were still flushed after he released her arm. She wasn't sure what to do. Oliver smiled at her reaction and gestured towards the living room.

"Maybe we should head back? They're opening gifts now and I'm sure you'd like to see yours. I know I want to know what mine is." Without a response, Corrine hurried back into the living room, suddenly very ecstatic about gift opening. There was no order except that the presents were divided among each child before they all tore at them. A fury of colorful papers flew through the air, attacking some of the people in the room. Cries of both excitement and disappointment could be heard as the kids opened their gifts of toys, food or clothing. Corrine laughed at the excitement and even helped some of the children open their gifts. Emily quietly approached her with the largest smile Oliver had ever seen from her and hugged her legs tightly.

"Happy Christmas Corrine! Happy Christmas!" she cried.

"Happy Christmas Emily! What did you get this year?"

"I got my own copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Mommy tells me these stories every night! Now I have my own! My favorite one is Babbity Rabbity."

"Do you know how to read yet Emily?" Oliver asked, attempting to place himself in the conversation.

"No, but I'm learning." Her speech had reverted back into short sentences and her expression darkened slightly. Oliver tried not to take offence of her reaction as she turned back to Corrine and continued to enthuse about her new book. He decided to run back up to his room and grab a large gift bag filled nearly to the top with Corrine's gift. She wouldn't want to miss this. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, Corrine was already standing and waiting for him, a wrapped gift in her hands. His gift.

"Is that for me?" he asked, feigning disbelief.

"No," she replied sarcastically, "I'm just showing you a gift with your name on it that isn't yours and you can't open ever." He made a face; mocking her as she mocked him. "Of course it's yours." She handed him the gift and eyed the bag in Oliver's hands. "That looks like my gift."

"That it does," he replied, offering the bag to her. He hoped she liked it. Eyeing her gift, she glanced up at Oliver.

"You first," she prompted.

"Ok." Oliver tore the wrapping paper open, sorry to see it go as she had worked so hard to wrap it. Inside was a crudely made box, clearly created only to conceal the shape of whatever the gift was. After prying the bow open, he was shocked to find a Broom Compass. "Sweet Merlin Corrine! These things cost at least a few Galleons! How did you afford this?"

"Don't worry about that," she replied, winking playfully.

"You sold yourself to buy my gift? You shouldn't have. How kind of you." They both burst out into fits of laughter. "Okay, okay, your turn." Given permission, she tore into her gift almost as violently as the children had and squealed at the sight of all the candy.

"Oh my gosh! This is all the candy from Honeydukes! Sugar Quills and Chocolate Frogs. Thank you so much Oliver! I love it!" She was already hopping up and down on the spot, hyper before she had had any sugar.

"There's something else in their too. Right at the bottom." Carefully, Corrine reached into the bag once more and pulled out an item the size of her palm that had been wrapped twice over with tissue paper. Once she unfolded it, she gasped.

"Oh Oliver! They're beautiful! I love them, I really do. A Quaffle, a Snitch and a broom. How fitting. It's perfect." Her eyes shone with admiration of the beautiful and small accessory. Oliver was surprised such a small item could have been the cause of so much happiness to her. He wondered if her smile could have become any more genuine. She began to take them out of the packaging and clipped them all into her bangs, moving her hair away from her face. "How does it look?" she asked, posing for him.

"Very cute. It's good to see your face." His voice had become sincere as he drifted into a space of awe. He could see the light blush that rose on her face and she looked away, embarrassed by the compliment.

"Thanks," she muttered. Oliver chose that moment to step closer to Corrine and take hold of her hand. The other hand came up to brush aside a few stray hairs from her face. He could hear her breathing quicken and noticed that his heart doubled the speed. What was he doing? Oh he didn't care. Corrine was with him and all he could think of was how beautiful and shy she looked. There was no resistance from her except for how rigid her body was. Slowly, Oliver's hand brushed her warm cheek his eyes never leaving hers; her intense brown eyes. They sparkled to him. If he could just get a little closer; if his lips could just brush hers, than this will have all been worth it. Two inches. One and a half inches. He could smell the peppermint on her. She had eaten one too many Peppermint Imps. One inch. Half an inch. So close.

Suddenly, a loud thump could be heard by the window. Something had smacked into it. Corrine literally jumped out of Oliver's grasp, holding her chest and gasping. Her cheeks were clearly very flushed and they matched his. She had distanced herself quite a lot and insisted that Oliver check the window. Upon opening the glass pane, he noticed that there was a mass of dark feathers wobbling about.

"Errol!" Corrine exclaimed, "That's Percy's owl. It's George! How does he know I'm here?" Oliver let the owl in and took the slip of parchment from its foot.

"It's from Katie, not George. 'Happy Christmas Oliver. I was wondering if you have any idea where Corrine is. George is going mad looking for her. Send an owl over to the Burrow if you have any word. Best Wishes, Katie. P.S. What did you get me?' How typical of her. Asking me what I got her." Corrine snatched the parchment and re-read it furiously.

"Oh Gosh. I've got to go owl George right now!" She began to run up the stairs again until Emily walked into the room.

"Corrine? Where are you going? We just opened all the presents! Come play with us!"

"Oh, uh, well Emily I was just going to write a letter to my boyfriend."

"Oh! Okay. Come back down soon okay?"

"I'll be right back." With that, she left to write her letter. Oliver wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to stop her. He wanted her to value him the way she valued George. He knew he was on about the same playing level as Emily however; though she was kinder to Emily.

"Oliver, are you sad?" He jumped at the sound of Emily's small voice. He hadn't noticed that she had slowly walked up to him.

"No, I'm fine Emily," he sighed.

"Are you sure? Cause you look sad," she persisted, stepping close to him.

"I'm fine."

"You have lines on your forehead."

"Emily."

"Look. See they're right above your eyes. Lots and lots of lines. And your face is all scrunched up too." Oliver decided not to retort in hopes that she would see his message with different delivery. "Are you sure you're not sad Oliver?" He let out a great sigh.

"I don't know Emily. I don't know if I'm sad right now."

"That's weird. How come? Can't you tell how you're feeling?"

"Well, I don't know what I'm feeling right now Emily. I've never really felt it before." Oliver pulled out a chair from the nearby dining table and took a seat. He could tell this conversation would take a while. Getting rid of Emily was never easy.

"Wow, you can feel a lot of things huh? That sounds hard," she commented. _Ha, you have no idea, _Oliver thought.

"Why is it hard Emily?" he replied, humoring her.

"Cause it would be easier if you just knew exactly how you felt all the time. That way you could make yourself happier faster. Then you could be happy all the time!"

"Yea, I guess I could huh?" He was tempted to roll his eyes at such an obvious observation. Of course life would be easier like that, but life isn't always easy is it? _Nothing worth having is easy._

"Oliver, do you like Corrine?" Emily asked suddenly after a long bout of silence.

"Ah… uh, well…" He wasn't sure how to respond to his cousin's question. He knew he liked her, but did Emily need to know? And what if Corrine came back down at that second? What if she heard him? There would be no way to get out of that loop. It was a trap.

"Why do you like her?" she continued, not waiting for an answer. Oliver sometimes wished his cousin wasn't so smart.

"I don't know Emily. I just do," he admitted finally. Giving in to his cousin was usually the easiest way to get rid of her. Once she thought she was right, she'd be happy enough to leave. Sometimes.

"But if you like her, then why are you sad? It's not bad to like Corrine. She's so pretty." Oliver nearly laughed. As if he didn't know that.

"But she doesn't like me Emy," he replied, using his cousin's nickname.

"Why?"

"I don't know. She has a boyfriend." That was the easier explanation he could muster. He couldn't even answer the question himself, never mind having to explain it to a five year old. A very intelligent five year old.

"But I think you should tell her anyways."

"Why?"

"Cause I think she likes you."

"But she has a boyfriend Emily. What about her boyfriend?" Oliver could hardly believe the words that were coming from his mouth. From the sound of it, it seemed like he was asking his younger cousin for relationship advice. He had sunk into rock bottom. Or, so he felt. She crinkled her nose, expressing either frustration or disgusts in the term 'boyfriend'.

"You aren't dating her dummy. You're just talking to her. Duh!"

"What if she doesn't talk to me anymore after?"

"Why would she do that?" Emily's eyes got bigger as she asked the question, similarly to Corrine.

"Well, maybe she feels weird if I like her." Emily had to think about her answer to this one. After great deliberation however, the child finally answered,

"Corrine wouldn't do that. Corrine's too nice to do that." Oliver was startle by her answer.

"How do you know?"

"If she wasn't nice, then I wouldn't like her." Her answer was so simple, Oliver found himself dumbfounded. His family loved Corrine and yet she would never have a single relation to them; at the pace he was going at anyways.

"She might still get upset Emy. I don't want her to be upset. I want her to be happy. Which is why I don't want to tell her." In his mind, he felt so decided.

"I want her to be happy too. Which is why you have to tell her." Oliver smirked.

"Emily, you are a very smart little girl, did you know that?"

"I try my best."

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it. In order to remove all doubt, I hope you'll tell me through an easy click of a button. The review button is below. Thank you ****Nelle07**** for reviewing my previous chapter. I'd also like to point out that I just noticed that none of my page breaks have been operational and I realize this may have been confusing. People! You have to tell me these things so I can fix them. But from now on, they will be fixed. Thanks again and see you all next chapter! **

**-Sydney**


	10. A Change in Status

Corrine came back down soon after Oliver's conversation with Emily. In other words, he had very little time to contemplate what his final decision was to be. In some odd way, he wished that Corrine had heard what Emily said to him. It certainly would have saved him a very awkward conversation and a lot of explaining. Well, it would have saved him from a bit of explanation. He didn't want to cause her any pain but he was selfish and he knew it. He was in pain himself and to keep this from her for any longer would only scramble his mind further.

"Hey Oliver, what's wrong?" she asked. He was instantly snapped back into reality and could his feel his heartbeat race at the upcoming conversation he had prepared in his mind. He had set himself up for this and was determined to say it, even if it meant spitting the truth out.

"I need to tell you something Corrine," he said, sweating out of his shirt.

"Okay," she replied, taking a seat on the kitchen chair. He cleared his throat loudly before continuing. Her eyes became wider with every second she waited which made him more nervous than ever.

"Well, I… uh. I'm not going to beat around the bush with this, so, here it goes. Corrine, I l-."

"Corrine! Oliver! Get back into the living room! We need to take photos! Come on now!" Oliver had never been more upset about his mother's timing ever before. Corrine shot out of her chair cheerily and grabbed hold of Oliver's arm, dragging him along. "Alright, you two stand right there, next to Emily now. Conner! You stop pulling your cousin's hair this instant! Everybody smile and look at the camera!" A chorused "cheese" was sung and a bright light followed, snapping a photo. "Alright now Corrine, Oliver, over hear. Right, stand right in front of the fireplace. Perfect. Oliver, put your arm around her waist. Perfect! Alright, "cheese"!" Oliver was almost certain his face was bright red by the time his mother had taken the photo. Even though this wasn't exactly the closest he had ever been to her, it was the most intimate thing. Corrine didn't seem to mind however, which brought him to wonder if she had permanently classified him as a friend. What if telling her truly did ruin their friendship? It was possibly best if he didn't say anything.

"So, what were you saying?" Corrine asked, turning back to Oliver with curious eyes. Oliver suddenly became hyper aware of the fact that his arm was still wrapped around her waist and retracted from her quickly. His eyes shot up to the ceiling and he could feel a light rush of blood in his ears.

"Uh, nothing. It was nothing," he stuttered.

"Are you sure?" She leaned closer to him. He was almost entirely certain that she wasn't aware of what she was doing.

"Yea, very sure," don't worry about it.

"As long as you're sure!"

o

Corrine had slipped from Oliver's grasp the minute she laid eyes on George on the Hogwarts express. He wasn't sure what to do about letting her go and he was hell as certain confused when she decided to bring George to sit with him and his friends. Why on earth would she bring her boyfriend? It was possible that she truly was ignorant after all.

"Hello Wood," George greeted.

"Weasley," Oliver replied.

"Come on! We have to find a compartment or we'll get stuck sharing!" Corrine shouted. She really had learned quite a bit from her first day if this was her behavior now. Oliver remembered how confused he was on his first day on the Hogwarts express and he imagined that for her, it must have been much worse.

"You sure Fred's okay with you leaving him for the ride back?" Oliver asked, trying to make polite conversation with George while he hinted for him to leave. He didn't take the hint.

"Nah, he'll be fine. We've seen each other all break. Besides, gives him the opportunity to 'work his moves' on Angelina. The poor girl." Oliver chuckled humorlessly.

"Found one," Corrine announced, sliding a door open to reveal an empty compartment. The three of them rushed in. Oliver hoped the others would arrive soon enough. Just as Corrine had taken her seat next to George, the door slammed open to the side to reveal Katie Bell.

"There you are Corrine! Come on! You've got to get over to our compartment! Alicia's got a bit of gossip you'd LOVE to hear!" It didn't take much to get Corrine to jump out of her seat and rush to Katie's compartment which left the boys alone.

"So," Oliver began awkwardly, "what did your family do over the Christmas?"

"I take it you didn't tell her yet?" George asked immediately.

"Tell her what?" Oliver replied. He had a feeling he knew exactly what George was talking about but he didn't want to bring it up himself.

"That you like her."

"No. No I didn't."

"You really should."

"Why are you encouraging me? You're going to lose your girlfriend."

"I told you, I want her to be happy. Even if it means she isn't with me."

"You're being stupid."

"No I'm not. You're my mate before she was my girlfriend. You come first you numpty."

"And what if she ends up rejecting both of us?"

"Then she'll be happy without the both of us."

"And what if she gets troubled by the fact that I like her? Wouldn't that make her unhappy?" George's eyes diverted and he took a deep sigh before responding. George sat in his seat and contemplated the fact for a moment.

"Possibly but I really would rather that she know the whole truth around her. You're supposed to be her best mate. You have to talk to her. For all you know she really may like you. She talks about you a lot."

"But like you said, I am her best mate. Of course she would talk about me most."

"But she has Katie, Alicia, Angelina and Fred now."

"Best mate."

"You can keep saying that all you want Oliver and you could probably convince the both of us that it's just that. But for now, I don't think so. She's passionate when she talks about you. And as much as this bothers me, and it really bothers me mate, I think she's still confused. She did spend the Christmas holidays with you, you numpty."

"If you haven't heard, I'm about as stubborn as a mule. I'm not telling her."

"Fine." As if on cue, the door slid open to a smiling Corrine. "Hey Corry," George greeted.

"Hey Georgie!" Corrine replied, bouncing into her seat next to her boyfriend. Oliver's shoulders slumped in disappointment. He could only handle so much of this. "Oliver," Corrine called out. His head jerked upwards at the sound of his name. He must have seemed so pathetic. "When is our first practice back?"

"Oh, uh, Wednesday."

"Great! That gives me two days to relax and catch up!"

"Catch up on what love?" George asked.

"Well, you for one," she replied, winking in his direction, "and all the homework I forgot to do."

"Hah, I told you to do that a week ago!" Oliver cried, trying to laugh away the awkwardness that their public display of affection caused.

"Well, I happened to be enjoying myself too much to be bothered with it!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. He noticed that George was practically glaring at him as he protectively wrapped his arm around Corrine's shoulder. "Emily was absolutely adorable! You should have seen her George! You would have loved her!"

"Sorry I missed it!" Oliver wondered if Corrine could hear the smallest bit of irritation in George's tone. He certainly did. He rose.

"I think I'm going to go and have a chat with Harry. I'll see you later then."

"Oh, alright. Bye Oliver!" Corrine said, waving her arm frantically.

"Bye," he chuckled.

o

Oliver was not okay with this. As much as he hated himself for his "chivalry", it was eating at him. A large part of him wanted desperately to tell Corrine and somehow move forward with his life, suffering the consequences. A small part of him told him not to. So how was it that the smaller portion of his mind was winning? It may have been because that small portion was attached to his conscience and morals. His needs were irrelevant. Unknowingly, he slipped into a depression that was nearly untraceable. His life had already been led in such a routinely manner that a monotonous behavior was far from abnormal. Only a few people seemed to notice.

"Oliver, is something wrong?" Alicia asked after a late Quidditch practice, "You seem quiet. And you completely overlooked the fact that Fred nearly hit you in the head with a bludger. It looks like, you're not into the game anymore." A handful of people in the room heard her and gasped. Corrine was among the group.

"Oh my gosh Oliver! Is it true?" she asked. He didn't bother answering her. He know that, if he looked at her now, he would be seen obviously blushing. She would still be in her Quidditch uniform and he knew that she always looked cute in the oversized thing. It would simply be impossible to keep his composure.

"He probably just needs a bit of shut eye eh Wood?" Fred called from the back of the room.

"Yea, that's it. I'm just tired. It's been hard, what with the extra practices and graduating and what not." He could hear Corrine sigh in relief.

"Oh. That's good. In that case, Hurry up and go to bed!" The team snickered as she gave out her commands to her Quidditch captain. She must have looked adorably foolish for the lot to laugh. He wished he could see her.

"Yea, I'll get right on that." He left hurriedly. He really was getting out of the game. It was almost as if he wasn't interested anymore. And he really wasn't. His mind was preoccupied with his frustrations over Corrine. Oliver mentally punished himself for having displayed his emotions. This really wasn't the time. A Slytherin game was nearing and he couldn't afford to throw the team off with his depression. He certainly couldn't allow Corrine to find out his true feelings for her either.

"George, do you think Oliver is going to be okay? I mean, he looked pretty awful earlier." George had waited for Corrine to finish in the changing room, allowing him the opportunity to walk her back to the common room.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He just a bit of time to set out his priorities," George replied, removing his arm from her shoulder. He would have to do it soon. And quickly. Like pulling off a band-aid.

"I hope he'll be okay. It really isn't healthy for him to be so upset. Do you remember our first Quidditch match? When he downright drowned himself in the showers? That was awful. I don't want him to be doing that again George. I want him to be happy."

"Corry, are you happy?" George interrupted immediately, finding a perfect opening for himself.

"What do you mean George?" They had stopped walking and were standing in the middle of an empty hall. Her eyes seemed to be darkening, as if she were almost completely aware of what was to come.

"Are you happy with me?" he repeated, emphasizing the topic of their relationship.

"Of course George! Why wouldn't I be? You're absolutely wonderful!"

"But not as wonderful as Wood."

"Is this what this is about?" Her eyes brightened again; a bubble of hope forming within her. "You're jealous of Oliver? You have nothing to be jealous about George. I adore you!"

"You think you adore me. But you actually fancy Wood. Don't kid yourself Corry. I know. And I know you aren't doing this on purpose."

"What are you talking about? I do not fancy Oliver! He's my best friend!"

"You certainly don't talk about him like he's your best friend. You talk about him as if he were a bloke you fancy."

"George, are you leaving me?"

"I would never leave you Corry. Remember what I said when I first confessed to you? I'll always be there for you. I want you to be happy always. Even if it means that we aren't together. I'm not leaving you. I'm breaking up with you." Tears began to form in Corrine's eyes as she felt her chest throb painfully. "Think about it Corrine." That was the first time he had ever used her full name. She didn't know what to make of it. "I can see the way you look at him. It's different. You just need to accept it. I'll never leave you, but we can't go out anymore. I want you to be happy. I know you said you're happy with me now, but you're happier with him. You trust him more and you care for him more." He took a step forward to hold her to his chest as she cried. He could feel the pain inside of him as well, and knew that he kick himself for this later on. Corrine meant so much to him. She needed more than him. She needed Wood.

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update but I hope you liked it! Thanks to ****Poetically Lyrical Cheyenne**** and ****LoopyLizzie**** for the reviews on my last chapter. I know this chapter is a bit short but a lot of stuff happens and I ended up relying on speech to tell my story. Lots of mental mind fuckery here. Thanks for reading and remember, it's not too difficult to click that little review button just below! I give shoutouts to all my positive reviewers (not that I've received negative ones yet, thankfully). Thanks again and I'll see you next chapter!**

**-Sydney**

**P.S. I just found out that NONE of my page breaks have been working so I added this Snitch looking ones Hope this worked. **


	11. Thoughts into Words

Corrine felt abandoned. Again. First her father, then George. She knew he hadn't really left her. He had said that enough times. But the feeling was still there. Even as he repeated that he would never leave, she was only reminded of her mother and father's encouraging words and how they had lied to her. Even as George wasn't lying, but the pain was there all the same. She wasn't sure where to turn to. Her first instinct was to run to Oliver, but what George had said to her made her wonder. What had he meant about Oliver? She did not fancy him. Whatever that meant. From what she could tell, George thought she liked Oliver. How could she like Oliver? She did not like Oliver. He was her best mate. Of course she thought of him often and he worried her a lot, but that didn't mean that if she cared, she liked him. Did it?

Corrine could feel the tears begin to trickle over her eyes and onto her cheeks. She could feel the pain throbbing in her chest and she knew that she had truly cared for George, no matter what he said. She knew herself better than he knew her.

o

Against her better judgment, she was still here. "Oliver?" Corrine whispered, knocking on the boys' dormitory door. Admittedly, she was a bit frightened to walk up the stairs on this side of the common room. She had seen the boys attempt to go up to the girls' dormitory and the results were quite disastrous. It was midnight and she was almost certain that he had already fallen asleep. The poor boy had been up for nights trying to strategize for the game at the end of the week. The room was pitch black and Corrine found difficulty in maneuvering herself to his bed. The area was designed exactly like her room but the mess caused for quite a challenged. "Oliver," she repeated more harshly, once his bed came into view. It was clear he was occupying it. She could see his body rising and falling with every breath. Corrine tip-toed into the dorm and nudged at the sleeping body that was Oliver. He moaned and turned over, trying to move further away from her. "Oliver, wake up!" Her voice had almost reached its normal volume by now. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and she knew she couldn't hold it in for much longer.

"Ah, I'm awake. I'm awake!" he muttered, only half awake. His eyes shot open and he was vaguely aware of her at his bedside. "Corrine? What are you doing here?"

"George broke up with me."

"Oh." Oliver forced himself out of bed and he sat on the side with Corrine. Slowly, he brought his arm around her shoulder and she made no protest. He understood everything.

"I didn't know where else to go. Sorry."

"It's okay, I'm glad you came to me." Corrine quietly cried for a while as Oliver held her. She had never felt safer and her brain began to wonder if George was right. Those thoughts only made her cry harder. She was so confused. Eventually, Oliver got worried that his dorm mates might wake and took her down to the common room. The space wasn't much better but the bit of light coming from the fireplace was welcoming. "You okay Corrine?" he asked quietly. She shook her head, not trusting her words. "It's okay, come here." He grabbed her head and held her to his chest. She pushed back. Corrine didn't know what to think anymore and Oliver's actions weren't helping her clear her mind.

"George thinks that I may like you. But I don't know," she blurted out, tears fogging her speech. "I don't know what to think. You're my best mate Oliver. But, I don't know." Oliver was torn between kissing her then and there, and running back to his dorm to hide. He didn't want to be hurt but if helping Corrine was any consolation…

"Don't think about it if you don't want to. I'm in no hurry."

"Huh? What do you mean you're "in no hurry"?" Her large teary eyes looked up at him and he swallowed nervously.

"Uh, that is."

"You like me?" she thought allowed. She wasn't speaking to him in particular and hers eyes were unfocused.

"I, uh, yea," Oliver replied, letting go of Corrine and rubbing the back of his neck. The two of them sat awkwardly together for quite some time. Neither made a move to speak or leave.

"Why would you like such a person? Why would you waste your breath?" she whispered. Oliver nearly missed it.

"Well, because you're funny."

"Clumsy," she corrected.

"Cute."

"Awkward."

"Determined."

"Stubborn."

"Nice."

"Stupid."

"Hey, let's not give the stupid people too much credit here." That almost got a smile out of her. "And let's not forget that you can make just about anyone smile with your happiness. Your innocence."

"Oliver, we've already talked about this. I'm not innocent!"

"Corrine," Oliver said, stopping her from getting up, "Don't think that you're alone alright? People deal with these things. Life is like this."

"Not your life Oliver. How could you understand? Your life is nothing like this! Your family is perfect and kind and sweet and friendly. How could you possibly understand that?" A sob escaped her. "I've never had anyone Oliver. Not that I can remember. What I have my dad? My dad did nothing for me. He barely raised me."

"Is this what this is about? Your past? You need to let things go Corrine!"

"You don't understand Oliver!"

"Then help me understand and stop pushing me away."

"It's not as simple as that. I can't. I just. It's hard to say." She wanted to end the conversation there but Oliver was clearly still waiting for her to continue. "I just have difficulties letting people in."

"But you've let me in."

"That's what confuses me! I don't know why I've done that! After my what happened with my Mum and Dad, and now George. I'm so broken Oliver. Why would you bother to fancy me?"

"Why would I need a reason Corrine? You make me happy. And as much as you would hate to admit it, I make you happy too."

"You could leave me. Things can change. You have Quidditch and I have nothing." Oliver hesitated with his retort. He was sure if his following words were really true and saying them without fidelity would only hurt her further.

"When you leave, I won't have anything either Corrine." Her head snapped up to look at him. "You mean more to me than Quidditch."

"You're funny Oliver."

"No, I'm serious Corrine." He reached out to grab hold her of shoulders to stop her from leaving. He needed to make his point now or lose her forever. He knew that if she didn't believe him now, he would never have another chance to tell her how he felt. She would never believe him. "I really do care about you Corrine. More than a friend should. I don't know what I would do without you. I, I like you." Corrine was speechless. She didn't know how to respond to having her best friend like her. It was a new concept for her. She had often had her suspicions but never had she thought that she was correct.

"I, Oliver, I don't know what to say," she replied.

"I guess I didn't expect you to say much of anything. I know this is probably a horrible time to have told you this. I mean, after, well after what happened. I'm supposed to be comforting you, not making you confused. I'm sorry. Forget I said anything." He felt almost ashamed of what he had done and wanted to leave at all costs but that would only make things worse. He needed to make things better now.

"I can't just forget what you said Oliver. I think, maybe, George was right about me."

"Really?" He wanted to burst into happiness. Did she really just say she liked him? He prayed it was true. There was a glimmer of hope that had formed in his chest.

"Yea, but, I don't think I can handle much right now Oliver. I mean, a lot has been happening lately and what with George and all. I just really need a friend right now. I'm sorry. I just can't." Oliver could feel his heart drop into the pit of his stomach.

"It's okay. I'll be here for you Corrine. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." Corrine nearly laughed at the amount of déjà vu she was experiencing at that moment. Did all boys say that? He wrapped his arms around her again and she allowed the tears to continue to stream into his shirt.

"Thank you Oliver. Thank you so much."

o

The fireplace gave a dim bit of light that no longer seemed welcoming, but made the atmosphere moody and eerie. As much as they both wanted to ignore it, there was a wall that had been built between them now. There was nothing to change the fact. They had confessed their feelings towards each other but were stuck at that point. Corrine could feel it and it hurt her heart further. She knew it was the last thing that Oliver would ever do to her. She knew that Oliver would be good for her. He was kind and strange. Even if he constantly teased her, he knew her best. He understood her and more or less, who she was. And for the oddest reason, he was a person she opened up to. He was there to take care of her, and for that, she could never thank him enough.

But now, things have changed. Her status in his life had been lifted. Lifted to a point above his greatest love; Quidditch. It was crucial to her to know he wasn't speaking of lies. She couldn't take much more abandon. As much as she hated to admit it, she was fragile. She wanted to be strong and courageous as a Gryffindor was, but all she could do was cry now. Things had become so much more difficult than she had expected. She wanted to come to Hogwarts to escape her problems, but instead she encountered more than she could handle. Not to mention she would be repeating the year.

o

Her tears eventually subsided and Oliver could tell that it was well into the night by the time they had. He didn't dare speak. There was too much to think about. The poor girl must have been going mad in frustration and sadness. He knew he was. Every second after she had started crying, he was beating himself up over his words. He had broken his promise again. He had hurt her, again. And this time, the situation could have been entirely avoidable if he had just shut up. He just had to be selfish. If it were George in such a situation, he wouldn't have said a damn thing. Why was he such a numpty?

Gradually, he noticed that Corrine's body was relaxing entirely. She had brought her legs up onto the couch they were seated at and leaned on his chest while his arm was still wrapped around her shoulders. Her hands were in her lap now instead of holding onto his pajamas and her breathing had slowed. A light snore could be heard from her mouth and Oliver confirmed that she had fallen asleep. He was sure that by morning, someone would find them and think the worst, but he didn't care. He didn't have the heart to wake her now; not after all that had happened. He couldn't bear to be alone for the night. Oliver could just imagine the nightmares she would have without him. Or, at least that's what he had hoped for. Not in a sadistic sense of course. He just wanted to feel needed by her. It had been so long since he had been needed.

Let them think the worst, he thought, I'm have her in my arms and I haven't been happier.

**Author's Note: I have returned! Sorry for the grand delay. Life's been busy and I've also been working on a few other projects. Feel blessed, I took the time to write this entire chapter instead of studying for my exam tomorrow. Not that I would have been studying anyways. A special thanks to ****Poetically Lyrical Cheyenne ****for leaving me a kind review. **

**Sorry the chapter a bit shorter than usual but I had a lot of drama to write. A bit of a brain buster for me. See you in the next chapter!**

**-Sydney**


	12. Formalities

Oliver woke on his own accord. Even without any indication of time, he could tell it was still early. "Corrine," he muttered nudging his shoulder so that she could feel the movement. He could tell that he had lost all feeling in his arm. It was completely numb and slightly painful. Actually, very painful. "Corrine," he said again, a bit louder this time. Corrine's head shot upward and into Oliver's chin. He didn't even want to focus on the pain from his chin and instead shook the blood back to his arm. Corrine let out a whisper of a laugh from what she thought was an exaggeration of pain.

"I can't believe I slept down here," she thought aloud, "But, thank you."

"Anytime," he replied, still rubbing life back into his arm. She gave him a final hug before retreated back to her dorm room.

o

No one had caught them. Oliver was quite shocked at the fact. Maybe fate had intended that they be at peace.

Corrine ran up the stairs to her dorm room to find that Alicia was sitting in her bed, reading a book.

"Oh! Alicia!" Corrine yelped. Finding her here was bound to have disastrous results.

"Had a lovely rest I reckon?" she teased. Well, half teased, her tone was only slightly accusatory. Corrine's cheeks burned slightly.

"Lost track of time is all."

"Oliver's arm must be all numb by now. But I doubt he'd mind." Alicia eyed her friend. "Plenty of people saw you, you know. George spent the better part of the morning making sure you were undisturbed. Poor boy. Smitten he is. Still cares about you more than he really should."

"He's the one who left me you know."

"Yea I know. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about you. Everyone sees the way you and Oliver are. It's hard for George."

"So what should I do then?"

"To be honest, I haven't a clue."

"Lovely," Corrine muttered.

"But I do think that you should make a decision. The lack of is probably killing everybody."

"Well I can't choose George. You know why I can't choose George."

"Yea," Alicia murmured, "Oliver then?"

"I don't know. I don't know at all."

"What's not to know?" Corrine furrowed her brow and thought before she answered.

"He makes me happy yea. I guess. But he scares me. I never know what to expect. George feels more… safe."

"George Weasley? Are we talking about the same George Weasley here?"

"Yes," she laughed. "He's very reassuring."

"Well, it sounds like you need the excitement in your life."

"I don't know…"

"Well, you best make up your mind. Better sooner than later."

Alicia promptly left the room to leave Corrine with her thoughts. Corrine didn't particularly enjoy the thoughts she was left to and the silence that was brought with it. She decided to take a walk along the school's grounds in hopes of clearing her mind. She found her way to the main courtyard, where a large crowd had gathered to watch Fred and George's antics. It was almost foreign to see George is such a state of complete bliss. It was clearly only something that he could feel when with his brother and clearly something she hardly ever saw. Corrine smiled lightly at the sight of his happiness and she felt better for having broken up with him. She would never be able to make him happier than he was at that moment. He could easily do without her. She didn't want to cause any more trouble for the poor boy. Seeing as her little walk was not helping in clearing her thoughts, she went back to her room and grabbed hold of her broom. Lately, a leisurely flight was becoming therapeutic as opposed to the usual sickening feeling she got when she was in the sky for long periods of time. No one was on the field and for that, she was grateful. Corrine double checked that the Dementors were nowhere near the field. She let her mind wander as she took off and for a long time she had gone undisturbed. Suddenly, she felt the wind rush in front of her face in a more bizarre direction and was nearly pushed off the side of her broom. Coming back to the real world, she noticed a red and brown blur circling her.

"Oliver?" she called out worriedly, unsure of herself. He stopped just in front of her, more or less sliding.

"Hey," he smirked. Corrine smiled and waved on him lightly. He wasn't exactly the person she wanted to see at the moment, but she couldn't complain.

"Hi Oliver," she greeted, "What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you that. You know we're not allowed out without another person. I'm doing you a favor by being here, you know."

"Well, technically, seeing as no one is with you now, you were alone at some point as well, which would mean that you would be in just as much trouble as me if you caught," Corrine countered.

"Your point? So I came up here to see you, is that a bad thing?" he grinned mischievously. Corrine blushed ferociously at the sight of his grin.

"I – uh, no. I suppose not."

"Good. Race you across the field?" She rolled her eyes.

"You'll win."

"I'll go easy on you."

"Haha, you better," she laughed, racing ahead of him.

"Hey! Cheater!" Oliver called out after her, catching up with her easily. They laughed until they reached the post and even when they had they continued. Corrine had realized how much fun she usually had with Oliver and how easy it was to simply be by his side. It had never occurred to her that he could have been more than what he was. Or at least, it did not occur to her conscious mind. Her subconscious was clearly very intrigued with the idea from the start.

When she finally won the race, she turned to see how far Oliver was behind her. When she did glance back however, she saw that he was making no attempt to slow himself down as he got closer and closer to her. He turned at the very last second; causing her to scream though she knew full well he would have never run into her. They laughed as they slowly descended back to the pitch.

"Thanks Oliver," Corrine said, walking up to him with her broom in hand. He was still mounted as he cocked his head to one side in confusion.

"What exactly are you thanking me for?"

"For coming out and finding me. Made me feel better."

"No problem," he replied, grinning proudly. He seemed quite satisfied with himself. Corrine chuckled.

"You know, it's almost the end of the year," she began.

"And all the Sirius Black madness is still lurking about."

"Yea, the night sleeping in the main hall was really something."

"Yea."

"It's hard to believe that we've known each other for nearly a year now huh?"

"Not really," he smiled.

"And why's that?"

"Because I can remember each moment. It's not hard to believe because I can feel the year all the time." Corrine blushed furiously. It was so rare for Oliver to have said anything remotely romantic.

"I, well, thank you. Oliver I, I just wanted to come out and say that, I really do like you. A lot. I know I've been really confused and it took a lot of thought to finally understand myself. But no matter what, you've been by my side and the most amazing and kind person. You scare me sometimes, but I know I can always trust you." All the while, Oliver had stood frozen. He could hardly believe that above all, he had been the one to catch this wonderful girl's eye. "Please say something Oliver," she asked. The silence was unnerving to her, even if she did know that he had basically confessed to her the other night.

"I don't know what to say Corrine. A bit of shock if you would."

"Shock over what?"

"That you actually chose me."

"To be honest, I'm surprised I chose you as well."

"Ouch," he laughed.

"Hey, I already gave you my extensive explanation."

"Haha, true. So what's left?"

"Well, what's left is that you need to ask me out dummy."

"Ah right, the formalities."

"Yes the formalities."

"Alright then," he chuckled, "Corrine would fancy going out with me and becoming my girlfriend for life?"

"Ahaha! You numpty! I guess I'll have to say won't I?"

"I guess you'll have to." He grabbed her arm, causing her to drop her broom and mounted his. He put her arms around his face and kicked off as fast as he could, causing her to grab at Oliver so fiercely that she forced the air out of him. He laughed loudly as he flew through the air at lightning speed as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Oliver I hate you so much!"

"You love me and you know it!"

**Author's Note: I was debating for a very long time whether or not to make this the last chapter and i have decided against it. So there will probably be more to come. I really hope you liked the chapter! Please tell me what you think and if you have anything you want to see here, just tell me :) I love hearing from you. I don't bite! Thank you! **


	13. Uncertainty

There were various different reactions but the only one Corrine was truly concerned with was that of George. He didn't _appear_ to be entirely phased by the situation, but she knew better. There were many moments that she had wanted to approach him and speak of the circumstances, but every time she tried, he would divert the topic or find an excuse to leave. Corrine progressively degraded herself for her choice, but when she was with Oliver, she felt nothing more than happiness.

"You alright, love?" Oliver asked as they walked from classes back to the Common room. They were to have another practice soon; practice for their final game of the year. His right arm was wrapped casually around her waist and she unknowingly placed her left hand over his. This had become a regular position for the two of them.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. As strange as it was, Corrine was still not used to the fact that Oliver could read her emotions.

"You've had a worried look on your face all day."

"Have I now?"

"You going to talk about it?"

"Perhaps."

"Are you going to talk about it to me?"

"Perhaps." He sighed, dropping the subject. He had tried to pry things out of Corrine often enough that he had learned when he had been beaten. They had, by now, arrived at the Common room and parted ways. Corrine wasn't entirely sure she did want to talk to her current boyfriend about her ex-boyfriend. It wasn't particularly a comfortable topic of discussion to have. But she knew that he would be the only person who would be able to make her feel better. However, there was always the chance of him either teasing her to no end or getting jealous. "Oliver," she said in a tone that he knew too well. She had broken down. "Do you think George is really alright?"

"Well, he better be. If he's anything like me, his playing will reflect on him. We'll see at practice won't we?" There was a tone of irritation in his voice but he attempted to include his thoughts and help her relax.

"I suppose we will…"

He wasn't awful really, but he wasn't at his usual state. He played just fine but he was silent. That was the unnerving bit.

"George," Corrine called out to him as they all landed and prepared themselves to change and leave. He pretended not to hear her. "George," she repeated with more force. She was catching up to him but he continued not to respond. Did he think her daft enough to drop the subject? "George!" she yelled, finally catching up to his sleeve and tugging on it hard. George nearly lost his balance and turned around with disbelief. "I know you can hear me so stop ignoring me," she insisted. George could hear the threat of tears in her voice and any likeliness of his anger had subsided. Instead, he tried to seem more nonchalant about the situation.

"Hi Corrine," he greeted. His voice seemed too flat to be casual and he cursed himself for that. It seemed that now that she had him in her grasp and had his attentions to her again, she wasn't sure what to say. She clenched her teeth and bit her lips hard, looking down at his arm instead of making eye contact. "I – I just wanted to talk to you." He remained silent, as if waiting for her to continue. "I wanted to say that, I'm sorry. For hurting you." He chuckled at the idea of her apology.

"I'm pretty sure we went through this already Corry. I'll be fine. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why do I feel as if I have?" He looked away from her quickly and she huffed. "Look, I knw there isn't much I can do now for you. But please don't shut me out. And please don't allow me to hurt you." George grinned genuinely, though his eyes still emanated the pain he felt.

"Thank you. Truly. But I think you should go back to Oliver." He nudged her shoulder playfully and she returned the action, smiling.

"Not a chance. We're dating now. He can have enough of me. You on the other hand, you are my friend and I hardly see you. And anybody who doesn't like that can mind their own business." She linked her arm with Georges and walked off. Corrina glanced over at her boyfriend (ah the relief of the term) and waved, gesturing that she was off on a walk with George. Oliver glanced at the Weasley and back at Corrine, giving her a quick nod of understanding. He had been much more pleasant as of late and often allowed her to do things, knowing that she had no suspicious connotations affiliated with them. In other words, he trusted her.

"You two seem to be happy," George commented.

"We are. Mind you, dating me hasn't given him any incentive to let up on any of my laps around the field," she joked, getting a laugh out of George.

"Wood'll never change. I swear he'll run us ragged!"

"Oh, he bloody will! I'd be surprised if he didn't. 'Don't stop now, only ten more laps to go!'" she mocked.

"Haha! 'Those aren't dementors! It's just cold! Keep going!'" George countered, making Oliver sound haughty and ancient. The laughed loudly, catching the attention of a few students passing by.

"See, this is what I miss," Corrine admitted between her bouts of laughter.

"What is it that you miss?"

"Laughing with you. It's fun, and since we dated and broke up, it hasn't been the same." His smiled slowly diminished at the sudden seriousness of the topic. He figured this is what she wanted to speak to him about; his behavior. "I know it's selfish of me to not want things to change, but I miss the way things were. And, I know that we can never be like that again, but could we at least try? Being despondent is, painful. And you promised that you would never leave me! I didn't forget." He sighed, knowing there was no way out of this conversation that wouldn't involve her getting her way. Placing his arm around her shoulders in the most platonic way he could muster, he squeezed her body close to his.

"I'll do my best."

* * *

><p>She felt that a talk and a feeling of resolution was what George had really needed. Making his effort to be himself again had really improved and Fred secretly thanked her for it. Given that, she was able to focus more on her studies, and her boyfriend. But the former had to be attended to before all else. Regardless of the fact that she couldn't graduate, she was going to try her damned best.<p>

"Corrine, you've been hitting the books for last week and a bit," Oliver noted, closing the textbook she was reading in front of her. "No more." She looked at him, annoyed.

"Oliver."

"Nope. No more. Today, you will no study. Today is Saturday. And you will not study."

"But Oliver, I want to."

"Have you seen yourself lately? When was the last time you left the castle? And not to go Herbology class of Quidditch practice. When's the last time you left the castle because you wanted to?" She couldn't respond without proving his point. "Exactly." He grabbed the underside of her arm and hoisted her up from her chair. "Come on, we're headed out to Hogsmeade. Just the two of us." She looked up at him with tired eyes that somehow shone with sudden interest.

"Like a date?" she inquired, a smile slowly coming to her cheeks. Oliver looked away stubbornly, not wanting to show his pleasure in hearing the term. He couldn't come to look at her when she was this excited, it only made him want to kiss her, and they hadn't quite gotten there yet. Often, he wouldn't have waited as long as he had to make an attempt, but Corrine had been busy and frankly, too innocent to simply plant a kiss upon. He wasn't sure how George had done it, but he was finding difficulty in the task. He nodded in answer to her question. She brightened and turned around to tidy her books, gathering to her chest. "A date," she said to herself eagerly, though it was loud enough for Oliver to hear. She walked ahead toward the common room and Oliver followed closely behind. She slowed down when she noticed he was dragging behind and placed her books so she only needed on hand to hold onto them all. Extending her left, she reached out to grab Oliver's hand and smiled at him. He glanced down at her and returned her happiness. "We've never been on a date!" she remarked, practically skipping.

"What do you mean? Yes we have," Oliver objected.

"Nope." She looked up at him attentively. "Just because we went out together doesn't mean we were on a date! I was with George at the time, remember?" Oliver recalled the Christmas she had spent with his family and they had gone shopping in Diagon Alley.

"Fine fine, this will be our first date then, okay?" he asked, squeezing her hand lightly.

"Okay!"

* * *

><p>Oliver suggested they head to The Three Broomsticks for lunch, aiming to have Corrine enjoy a 'typical' date. They were seated a table next to the fireplace enjoying a chat before their butterbeer and food arrived. He began speaking of Quidditch, which seemed to be his default topic. Most girls didn't find the subject with the most interest, though Corrine picked up on it rather well. Instead of providing information, she asked that it be supplied to her. All the while he explained, his eyes drifted from her bright eyes, to her hair. It occurred to him that the only reason her eyes were so clear to him that day was because she had donned the clips he had bought her. Today's was only the broom, but it was definitely one of the set he had purchased. For that he grinned.<p>

"I'm glad you like them," he said, pointing to broomstick. Started and confused, she quickly realized and placed her hand atop the clip.

"Oh! Yea I really like them. They're so useful and nice. And you got them for me. Of course I would like them." Her contagious smile lifted at the thought.

They paid for the own meals after great amount of struggle, ending only in compromise. She insisted on wandering the pub after having eaten, simply to see the area and to admire what Oliver thought was distasteful decorating. She seemed to enjoy looking at the wall of hunting trophies and admiring detail that wasn't necessarily purposeful. Whilst she did this, he admired her attention to such things. She seemed to glow at the fascination with things she was not familiar. Perhaps it was why she adored him so much. He was not a particularly common bloke. Then again, he wasn't sure how he felt about the reasoning he had created.

He reached out his hand and called her name and she ran over, making certain to grab hold of him. They walked about to a few of the other shops, including but not exclusive to, Dervish and Banges, Tomes and Srolls, and Zonko's. All the way Oliver seemed to be dragged about in an almost literal manner. He didn't mind as much as he would have if it were any other girl, mostly as he did little shopping and instead enjoyed the company of his girlfriend. Corrine marveled at many things, only to despair at what little she could own. He debated on buying her gifts, but decided that, with the amount of enthusiasm she showed, it would be more frugal of him to avoid pleasing her with material objects, even if she thoroughly enjoyed the hair clips.

"Ice cream?" she asked eventually. The sight of Honeydukes often caused this reaction from her and Oliver grinned knowingly.

"Only if you let me treat you," he replied, attempting to sound stern and stubborn. She pretended to ponder over his condition for a moment, putting a finger to her lips animatedly.

"Hmm… Okay!" Corrine ran ahead, pulling on Oliver's hand behind her. The area around Honeydukes was usually the most crowded of Hogsmeade. He didn't typically enjoy it, but Corrine seemed very set on getting a bit of ice cream. After a half hour of pushing and shoving, they were able to leave with cones for each of them and found a place to sit outside of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. There was a simple table outside, and seeing as the air had become slightly frigid in the spring weather, many couples were inside. Corrine hadn't complained much, even though her jacket wasn't the thickest. She had been running around enough that her face had gone red. Oliver was simply used to the weather, as he had ridden his broom in much colder temperatures. His mind wandered as she spoke of Fred and George's latest endeavor. Something about an Exploding Snap card finding its way into his robes.

"Oliver," she inquisitively. He snapped back into reality, realizing he hadn't heard a word from her.

"Yes?" he stuttered.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really. Sorry I just zoned out," he said, dismissing his silly train. He had gone back to thinking about why she adored him as she did. It wasn't a conversation he really wanted to have.

"You seemed to be in very deep thought. Penny for them?" He sighed, thinking about how to word his thoughts.

"I was just thinking…," he began. "Well, I can't imagine your dad thinks highly of you having a wizard boyfriend."

"I can't imagine he thinks highly of me associating with any of the Wizarding people," she joked. He tried to narrow the subject.

"Would he approve if I wasn't a wizard?" She looked at him skeptically, an eyebrow raised, though her tone was still somewhat playful.

"Why do you suddenly care for my father's approval?"

"I don't, I'm only curious." Even he could hear how he lied.

"You know I don't care for my father's opinion. I love him but I can't stand him. Why are you asking this?"

"I'm asking because it occurred to me, through all your curiosity and rebelliousness, that you're just…" Before he even finished his sentence, she groaned out loud, knowing where the conversation was leading.

"Really? I thought you would know better than this."

"Sorry. I…" he trailed off, unable to explain what he had thought. It was really just a thought he had let too far out of hand. It was a horrible excuse but it was his reason.

"I'm not with you because you're a wizard," she sighed, reaching over the table to but her hands on his, which were held together tightly in frustration with himself. "I'm with you because you helped me transition into Hogwarts. You taught me how to play Quidditch. You helped me get over my fear of heights." They laughed slightly at the memory. "You've been patient with me. You've been kind and caring. You've made me laugh and you're there to listen to me whine. You put up with me dating George, even though you liked me. Heaven knows why you did, but you did. You took care of me during Christmas and invited me to your home. There are a lot of reasons why I like you. And none of them are because you're a wizard." She smiled warmly at him and squeezed his freezing hands. "Oh and, if it hasn't crossed you mind Oliver, I can do magic too, remember?" He laughed at the reminder. "Dummy."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. That was dumb of me. Now, let's get back to the castle before I make an even bigger fool of myself." This time, he led the way through the crowd.

* * *

><p>"You know, a lot of my friends back home ask about you," Corrine said as they walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Oliver's eyebrow raised.<p>

"Really now? And what do they ask?"

"They ask me who you and what you're like. They want to know everything about you. And," she paused for dramatic effect. Well, for effect, and to give the Fat Lady the password of the hour. "And, she began again, "if we've kissed yet." She giggled and winked at her last statement and Oliver's face reddened. They took a seat on one of the empty couches by the fireplace and Oliver put his arm round the back of the seat. There were others occupying the other couches and chairs, but they paid them no mind.

"And what have you said about me?" he asked, curious of her thoughts.

"I've said that I'm enjoying myself with you and that they needed worry. I told them that you were sweet, if not sometimes daft." She laughed at him, putting a hand on his chest. "And I might have a lied a little bit."

"About what?"

"About you being a really good kisser. I didn't want them to bug me about it because I knew they would."

"Hey! I am not a bad kisser."

"Well I wouldn't know that," she teased. "Which is why I said I lied." Oliver huffed, starting to take a hint. He looked around the room and noticed that the others sitting by the fireplace didn't seem to look in their direction. Glancing down at Corrine, he placed his left hand on her waist and used his right to guide her face up to his, his heart pounding all the while. He closed his eyes and kissed her. Her lips were soft and she seemed to know what she was doing, which only led him to question how often she and George had kissed. Granted he had had his fair share of mates in his time, the thought of Corrine having any other bothered him. He flinched when her hand found its way to the back of his neck and she pulled him closer. He pulled back quickly, remembering their surroundings. Oliver quickly glanced around and then back at Corrine, who had gone completely red in the face. Cocky, he grinned.

"So, how was that?" She bit her lip and laughed silently at his comment. She looked just as he had felt; mind boggled and scattered. Which came to question how he must have appeared to her.

"Well, at least I can say for certain that I didn't lie."

**Author's Note:** This chapter is much longer than my usual but I thought that, because of the fact that I had been on such a long hiatus/writer's block, you all deserved something a little more than the usual. I was actually going to end the chapter before they got back to the common room, but decided against it. Hope you liked the bit of fan service.


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